


World End's Messiah

by gorgeousshutin



Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion, Shoujo Kakumei Utena | Revolutionary Girl Utena
Genre: Black Rose Arc, End of Evangelion Ending, First Ancestral Race, NERV vs Ohtori, Other, Shapeshifting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-28
Updated: 2013-08-31
Packaged: 2017-11-17 05:58:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/548356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gorgeousshutin/pseuds/gorgeousshutin
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He who rose to become a legend now is key to revolutionizing the world. Eva X Utena, post-series both series. BETA-ed by Gob Hobblin starting Ch 8.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**World End’s Messiah** \- NGE/SKU, post series both series  
  
All NGE and SKU characters belong to their respective owners.  
  
 **Summary:** He felt like he had to strangle her then, because no way should her pale skin be growing dark from right underneath his fingertips.

<http://gorgeousshutin.blogspot.ca/2012/10/world-ends-messiah-ngesku-post-series.html>   
[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8650175/1/World-End-s-Messiah ](http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8650175/1/World-End-s-Messiah)   
<http://forums.ohtori.nu/viewtopic.php?id=3248>   
<http://forum.evageeks.org/thread/13327/World-Ends-Messiah-NGE-SKU-post-series-both-series/>

  
  
It took Ikari Shinji a long time to return to the world; and by then, what he could see was but its’ wrecked remains.  
  
Everyone was gone, of course, with the vast sea of LCL splashing against the shore now holding testimony to the dreary state of humanity.   
  
 _“Everyone should die.”_  
  
Indeed, that was his wish as the epitome of Instrumentality, thus why this outcome . . . no;  _Rei_ was the epitome; he, he himself was simply the one whose wish she helped realize, out of her sisterly . . . or perhaps, motherly devotion to him.  
  
 _“Everything will be alright . . .”_    
  
Head heavy with thoughts of his mother forever disappearing off into space in Unit 01, condemned to an eternity of solitude, Shinji struggled to move his stiff, sore neck as he tried looking around.  There was the giant’s face, halved in its fall yet still distinctively identical to Rei’s.  The Mass Production Units now lined the barren landscape in their “crucifix poses”, making the entire open space resemble a vast cemetery.  There was a crimson gash opened upon the glittery night sky . . . or was it really a trail of stratospheric blood?  
  
Yes, the sun, the moon, and the earth obviously still existed just like his mother had said . . . but what good were they for one left to tread this bleak wasteland alone?   
  
Slackened, his head rolled the other side, thus allowing him to see that he was not really alone.  
  
“Asuka . . .”  
  
It was indeed the pilot of the fallen Unit 02, the fiery devil girl who hurt and surprised him all the time in their other life, back before Instrumentality.  With her left eye patched up and her right arm bandaged, she looked very much like how he had imagined she’d look after the Mass Production Units had basically devoured her Eva . . . but wait; in that case, shouldn’t the girl be even more . . . maimed than she looked here?  
  
In the distance, framed by Asuka’s plugsuit-wrapped curves, was the apparition (just an apparition; not her person, not real) of the uniform-wearing Rei standing upon the LCL sea; her lips were moving, her often vapid expression now urgent, but he heard not a word she tried saying to him . . . nor did he cared, as he knew that this water-standing Rei was no more real than the halved-giant head marring the horizon.  Broken, bandaged Asuka . . . she was real.  
  
Willing strength back into his numb limbs, Shinji pushed himself up from the soft, moist sand, and reached out towards Asuka – the only “real” person left to ease his loneliness upon this broken, desolate earth.   
  
“Asuka . . .”   
  
Her un-patched eye opened at the touch of his finger upon her cheek, only to stare through him and up into nothingness.  Straddling the girl now, Shinji started lightly slapping the girl, insisting that she face and address him.  
  
“Asuka . . . Asuka!  Asuk-”  
  
And just like that, the boy’s persistent, nagging words ceased, as he actually found himself stunned into imbecility by what he now saw (that, after all that he had been forced to witness throughout the nightmarish battle and the eerie Instrumentality coming after it).  
  
It all started with Asuka’s one revealed eye – originally blue as sapphire, it suddenly started changing shades.  At first, Shinji thought it was a merely trick of the light, before he saw how her hair and skin was starting to change too.  
  
One of the very first impressions Asuka had made on Shinji was that offensive rudeness aside, she truly was an extraordinarily beautiful girl.  Having a mix of Caucasian and Asian genes, the girl possessed red tresses and fair complexion that made her positively stood out here in Tokyo-3.  
  
Those red tresses now were quickly lightening up into platinum pink, as her once fair complexion came to deepen like cocoa-stained milk . . .  
  
Driven past reason, past sanity, the boy let out a gurgling sound from within his dry throat; body moving before coherent thoughts did, he found his hands already clasped around that chocolate-brown throat, as he then clamped down with the desperate violence of a struggling mantis; he felt like he had to strangle her then, because no way should her pale skin be growing dark from right underneath his fingertips.  
  
Olive-toned face (so beautiful, perhaps even more so than it ever was before) growing taut as he squeezed at her neck, the changed Asuka’s now emerald green right eye gradually regained focus, as it now seemingly stared straight into his soul, such that he knew she now was reading every jumbled thought currently running through his frantic mind.  
  
Her now dark hand, bandaged to the palm, clasped his face with such tender delicacy, that the boy thought the touch was exquisite beyond anything he had since experienced in his short, miserable existence; fingers loosing strength, eyes blurring up, the fourteen-year-old then cried like the broken, abandoned child he really still could not help but _be_ , no matter what kind of grand responsibilities his world had been forcing upon him  
  
“I don’t feel good . . .” Shinji heard the girl mutter, before he got softly pushed off of her.  Standing up in a rather . . . tentative manner (not unlike that of an insect having freshly shed its old shell), the pink-haired, dark-skinned girl that Asuka Langley Soryu become walked up to the edge of the waves upon unsteady feet, and studied the amber sea with her head hung low.  “So, even you got trapped in this, after all.”   Her voice lowered, in genuine grief seeping with apparent venom.  “Oh, little sister, unto what lows will you sink just to stay together with that foolish life form?”  
  
“A-Asuka . . . ?”  Shinji walked up towards her in small, uncertain steps (all the while hating the tremor in his voice).   “What are you talking about?”   
  
At that, Asuka turned to face him, and her smile was the pacifying smile of a worldly, purposeful adult.  “Oh, nothing.  I’m merely thinking about how Hikari and Toji would fare bodiless within that LCL sea  . . . those were your little friends’ names, right?”   
  
Shinji’s jaw dropped at the girl’s peculiar words (made stranger still by her now mature tone).  “Wha . . .?”  
  
“Sorry, my memory has been all jumbled up since the bout with those white beasts.  My head still hurts . . .” swooning, she drifted sideways like a frail flower, and was quickly kept from falling by the boy’s steadying arms.  
  
“Asuka!  Careful . . .”  Shinji’s words trailed off as the girl – much to his shock - leaned into his embrace with a sinuous deftness that would make even Misato seem wooden in comparison.  “Asuka . . .”  
  
“Take good care of me, Shinji,” urged the girl now looking up to him, “you’re now the only one I’ve got . . . my only prince.”  
  
“Yeah . . .” young head fogged up by arousal (thus unable to focus upon what alarming signals his mind was trying to warn him with), Shinji put on a brave smile as he held the dark girl to his side in a gallant, possessive manner.  “Yeah!  I’ll definitely protect you and keep you safe, Asuka!”  Sinking deeper into bliss, the boy could not help but think that had his housemate been so agreeable from the start, then maybe, just maybe he would have had the drive to save the world from destruction like everybody wanted him to do.  As it was, he and the girl now were, essentially, the new Adam and Eve left to this people-less world . . . one that he just might survive, with the new and improved Asuka supporting him my his side.  
  
There was an LCL tidal pool accumulated right beside their feet, such that had the boy glanced down upon it, he would no doubt be shocked by what was revealed there.  
  
It was said that mirrors do not lie, and apparently the same applied to an LCL medium’s smooth surface  
  
The amber-tinted reflection showed a scrawny youth hugging to himself not any delicate lass, but rather, a white-haired, darkly handsome man garbed immaculately in white, princely attire; towering over the hazy-eyed boy by more than a foot, the adult glanced down upon him like a falcon at a chick.  
  
“I’ve . . . learned things during Instrumentality, you see,” purred “Asuka” at the now bewitched boy.  “There’s a way to make everybody come back, and into a world vastly superior to what it was before.  It involves the finding of ‘the Light of the World’, a precious power since stolen by a witch and her consort.”  The hypnotic sweetness of her voice belied her increasingly shrewd words.  “It is now up to us to hunt the two down, and take from them the power that is rightfully ours.”  
  
“Power . . .” murmured Shinji.  Again, he noticed a pale maiden in a school uniform standing some distance off to their side; by her pointing finger (directed at Asuka) and her wide open mouth, she must had been screaming something dire at him; yet, he heard not a word the pale maiden said, nor did he cared . . . as familiar though she might look, he simply could not recall her name, nor whatever past they might have had together.  Besides, why heed this stranger, when he had the only woman he had ever wanted right here with him?  
  
Said woman was currently beaming at him while gesturing into the opposite direction, where the Shinji saw a grand cluttering of cathedral-like buildings surrounding a tall tower – pre-Second-Impact style buildings that he had never noticed before in this area.   
  
“Those school buildings look intact, let us seek shelter there.  There will be food, and drinks, dorm rooms to sleep in, and with luck, other children similarly off Instrumentality as ourselves; we can recuperate there, gain what allies we need, then act anew.  Come, Shinji-kun,” Asuka reached a hand out to the boy. “Let us together save this sickly world; together, we shall right mankind’s failed evolution, and bring for them a miraculous, eternal, _revolution_.”  
  
“Revolution . . .”  
  
“Come, fellow prince.”  
  
Taking the dark, elegant hand, the boy with the power to decide humanity’s fate let himself get dragged along towards the pristine school buildings existing impossibly amidst the surrounding wreckage, towards the ends of  his new world.  
  
  
 **To Be Continued . . . ?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe I'm churning this out while falling behind schedule on both Seinen Kakumei Utena and The 120 Days of Ohtori (IRG Forum project). This fic takes on two notable "mysteries" from NGE and SKU, respectively – Shinji's strangling Asuka at the end of EoE, and the big reveal that Anthy (and thus possibly also Akio) can change both gender and appearance in Ep 23 – and combined them together into the "what if" premise of this crossover work.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**  
  
“Ikari-kun . . .” whimpered Ayanami Rei from where she sprawled wet and shaken upon the mucky shore, as she ruminated on how Ikari Shinji – the only one who mattered to her in this world – just got abducted away from right in front of her wide red eyes.  
  
She was born a clone of Lilith, and had, after the fusion, acquired the full power of Lilith.  Yet, power alone meant nothing; power without will to back it up would simply laid unused and wasted.  One needed a will to exercise power, and one needed reason to summon such will.  
  
Throughout her different incarnations – all of which she now recalled after Instrumentality – Ikari- kun remained the only one who could give her that reason.      
  
So of course, when that _thing_ just abruptly showed up and approached Ikari-kun in its sinister manner, Rei did not hesitate in stepping up to interfere.   A barrier of sorts – something that felt familiar to her senses; that she could not yet identify – materialized in front of her, blocking her advance.  Not having the time to properly analyze the barrier’s nature, Rei hammered at it with her angel-strength A.T. field.  When that did not result in any noticeable effect on the barrier, she reversed tactic and tried neutralizing its physical form with  a focused, limited-range Anti A.T. field – one that she took care to not touch Ikari-kun’s vulnerable vessel in any way . . . and still, nothing; not a single dent on the being’s barrier whatsoever.  
  
A sweet, floral scent – one that made her concentration waver – was starting to fill the air . . . was the “thing” trying to sedate her?  
  
Pulse quickening with dread – an unfamiliar sensation to one such as her – Rei tried to re-establish her psychic link with Ikari-kun . . . and found the signals largely diffused by the barrier raised by the “thing”; more that that, what impressions she could sense from Ikari-kun’s end was filled with . . . apathetic non-recognition?  
  
Ikari-kun not recognizing her?  Impossible . . . Has the “thing” managed to breach into Ikari-kun’s mind already?  
  
It was amidst the violent blasting of Rei’s A.T. Field projections (ones that sent the entire shore rumbling up in smoke clouds) that the maddeningly unaffected “thing” made its languid retreat, bringing along with it a blissful-seeming Ikari-kun, who looked happier than she could ever remember him to be.   
  
“Ikari-kun!”  She screamed at the boy, even while knowing that the “thing”'s barrier will likely block off her sound.   “Don’t go with that thing!  It is-”  
  
And the barrier – or rather, what she thought was a barrier – turned visible and distinctively metallic; at first glance, Rei thought it now resembled the torso of a vast serpent, that with the jagged pieces resembling large, grayish scales . . .  
  
. . . no, not scales; _swords_ ; a vast wall of countless, innumerable swords, all stacked against each other in a zigzag, scaly formation . . . no sooner had Rei noticed that, the swords shifted such that their sharp tips now were pointing outwards as spikes on a sea urchin’s surface.  
  
All.  Pointing.  At.  Her.  
  
She barely had time to raise her defense as the metallic swarm rushed her in one vast, dragon-like mass; having experienced the “thing”’s uncanny ability to repel her previous attacks, she had her Field arrayed in layers - which turned out to be what saved her in the end.  
  
Upon contact with her A.T. Field, each and every one of the stopped swords morphed instantaneously into the same double-helical shape – one all too familiar to her.  
  
“Spear . . . of Longinus?”    
  
Indeed, the transformed weapons now were as carbon copies of the Artifact of Instrumentality – down to the very fact that their double points appeared to have little trouble in puncturing through an A.T. Field – except for their being downsized to human-scale. Before Rei could dwell further upon the shocking discovery, the mini-spears had since broken through her defense . . .  
  
 _. . . witch, witch, accursed witch . . ._ chanted their hate-filled psychic vibes, as they shot towards her now defenseless vessel at point blank range . . .  
  
. . . before waves of some unidentifiable energy rippled through the space around her, disintegrating the innumerable spears back into their original LCL form, such that the entire seashore now was showered under amber rain, drenching her as she slowly collapsed from a feeling utmost alien to her – the feeling other people had called fear.  
  
“Ikari-kun . . .”  
  
Through the mild drizzle of LCL, Rei saw that Ikari-kun was no longer within view.  Within that split instant of the spears rushing past her A.T. Field, the “thing” had somehow moved off and settled down to over a mile off into the distance.  Extending her senses (shaper than that of all three Magis combined post Instrumentality) she detected to her dismay remnants of the boy’s pattern signals now coming warped by what appeared to be inter-dimensional distortion - the warped signals were coming from right inside the “thing”.  
  
Like what had happened before, Ikari-kun had again gotten sucked into a pocket dimension inside another powerful being – this one displaying no pattern she capable of detecting, despite the powers it had displayed thus far being so similar to that of the Angels she had since encountered.  Was the “thing” a child of another Seed of Life yet unknown?  Or, perhaps, another Seed itself, one that should not have been on Earth?  Yet . . . each Seed was supposed to be accompanied by only one Spear of Longinus?  The vast swarm of hate-radiating spears stabbing through her A.T. Field and was about to skewer her before melting away. . . despite their being of human tool-size, just how did the “thing” managed to manipulate so many of them all at once?  
  
What did it want with Ikari-kun, a human to whom she had given power over all souls on Earth?   
  
Getting back on her feet, Rei was just about to levitate herself up and after the retreated, unknown “thing” now holding Ikari-kun hostage, when a soft, husky sigh sounded from behind her.  
  
“Hurts, doesn’t it?”    
  
Shocked by how someone could come up to her from behind without her sensing anything, she whirled around to see what looked to be a dark-skinned girl around her age – one from whom she could not detect any human pattern.  
  
“You surrendered to the boy your control over Instrumentality, such that his will now decides the fate of all mankind,” stated the “girl”, her voice even with vapid empathy. “Do you know, that once you have given your all to the one you love, then you could only watch on powerless when he is to stray away from you?  This timeless mistake has been the ruin of many girls throughout the generations.   I know, because I was the first amongst them to fall.”  
  
“You . . .”  Something occurred to Rei then, and she starting drawing up her A.T. Field.  “You are . . . !”    
  
The “girl” – who managed to remain dry and immaculate amidst the brief shower of LCL by way of an invisible barrier cloaking her person – raised  a hand in a pacifying gesture. “I mean you no harm, Ayanami Rei; in fact, I just saved you from the Swords of Hate.”  
  
“You are related to the thing that ensnared Ikari-kun,” stated Rei, now analyzing the “girl” (who obviously knew more about her than she it) by sight (as her senses were useless in detecting whatever pattern the “thing” exudes), and found that it bore much resemblance to the monstrosity that she had just battled.    
  
“I am,” the “girl” admitted, readily, “but said relationship no longer hold meaning for me.”  Smiling, she extended a dark, delicate hand out towards Rei.  “You can call me Himemiya Anthy.”  
  
Rei did not take the offered hand, and instead continue on drawing up the full might of her A.T. Field. “You even smell like that thing.”  Just what was this bittersweet scent that managed to cover even the salted blood-smell of the LCL shore?  Something akin to that of an earth flora . . . sub rosa?  
  
“Do not fight me, child,” the “girl” called Himemiya Anthy eyed her with something between empathy and pity in her eyes.  “Before you, before Lilith, I was.”  
  
“That, you were, Himemiya Anthy-san.”    
  
In a whirl of motion that even Rei had trouble following, Nagisa Kaworu had appeared between her and Himemiya.  With his visibly tensed back to her (Was he trying to defend her?), the now uncharacteristically nervous Adam’s child reached forth to take the “girl”’s offered hand in a civilly-guarded handshake.  
  
“To what do we owe the honor of a visit from one of the First Ancestral Race?” asked Kaworu, adjusting the large white-and-red visor now covering his upper profile with a free hand.  “What do you want with Ikari Shinji-kun?”  
  
 **To Be Continued . . . ?**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think an email exchange I’ve had on FFML will clarify some things about what I plan to do with this fic.
> 
> \-- On Mon, 11/19/12, Dot Warner wrote:
> 
> From: Dot Warner  
> Subject: Re: [FFML] [FANFIC][NGE][SKU]World End’s Messiah Chapter 1  
> To: "The Fanfiction Mailing List"  
> Date: Monday, November 19, 2012, 1:33 PM
> 
> My only bit of crit is that I wished you'd done more than just rehash the final sequence of the End of Evangelion beat for beat except for the bit you threw in there to connect it with Utena. 
> 
> Now, as far as the plot premise goes, my opinion is that the theme of SKU is the choice between mindless bliss and complicated reality. By the EoE, Shinji's already made his choice--he no longer wants to be part of the system, but he also couldn't give two shits about being the god of the new world--and Asuka's there either because she's strong willed enough to survive, or Shinji can't quite bring himself to erase her from his life. I think that it's make more sense for Ohtori to exist in the sea of LCL as that metaphorical "Garden of Eden" from which mankind must choose to either remain or leave.
> 
> >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>MY REPLY >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
> 
> Thanks for the detailed crit, Dot!
> 
> Yes, chapter one does read like a rehash of the final sequence of EoE, but I need it there for the built up to Shinji's surreal encounter with Akio-Asuka; plus, I do make implicit what was going on Shinji's mind (via his POV) starting from the beginning of the scene, so hopefully I've inputted something of my own creation (i.e. why he was non-responsive at seeing schoolgirl Rei's image above the LCL sea) into the sequence.
> 
> As for Ohtori . . . I think it differs significantly from the LCL sea in that people are not mindlessly blissful - they are tightly controlled by a higher power (Akio) like tools to experience hurt and trauma via crashing of wills (things the LCL sea bunch are dodging), and many of them (like the Student Council) are aware of it. I will spoiler things a bit by saying that this is a story where all the mysterious elements of SKU shall be explained via canon NGE Wiki Terminology. World End's Messiah will contain my take on the true nature of "Ohtori Academy", "Akio", and "Anthy" in this Sci-fi setting, why "they" still exist after 3I, and why they do what they now do, The fact that "Ohtori Academy" could now just appear in the ruins of Tokyo-3 should be a pretty big spoiler as to what "it" really is (but no, it's not quite that most obvious possibility as you might immediately think).


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3** (Please keep the C &C coming, people!)  
  
Before setting foot upon the irrationally undamaged campus grounds (an eye-catchingly grand academy he had somehow never noticed around this area before), Shinji had considered a broad range of possibilities on what they might found there: deserted buildings hopefully still fueled by backup generators, food and drinks in defunct cafeterias at risk of staling, the scattered few people – if it was still possible for others to retain individual forms even now – lurking about like weary refugees in this broken world of _his_ making . . .        
  
Antiquated music, coming languid and elegant and definitely live (as it lacked the frizzed-out quality of a recording), was not what he had expected to encounter.  
  
“Sounds like string instruments, Shinji-kun,” commented Asuka, a wistful glint within her one revealed green eye (It once had another color pre-Instrumentality . . . violet? Amber?).  “Cellos, perhaps?”  
  
People playing musical instruments in the wake of Instrumentality . . . upon this now brutally barren Earth?  Unthinkable.  Yet, the music persisted, drawing the two children past a dark alley framed by regal buildings (likely what their history teacher had called Byzantine architecture) artfully adorned by rose motifs, before they were to enter an elegant courtyard, where some sort of party was apparently going on.   
  
The place was but illuminated by a singular candelabra on a white-draped long table, upon which a feast of apples, grapes, and pears had been laid out, accompanied by champagne glasses and stacks of empty plates.  Lanky boys in school uniforms – all wearing a black ring with a magenta rose motif visible even under the veiling of dimness – flitted about each carrying a cardboard with a pointing hand drawn upon it.  Musicians (a trio of stick-figured girls) on cellos could be seen at a dark corner, setting the mood for the peculiar scene with their competent (if physically showy) performance.  
  
Nasally male voices, whispery and dark with cynicism, hovered adrift over the cool night air:  
  
"To think that once again, they’ve rebuilt it back from scratch."  
  
“This is all to accommodate that matchless artifact soon to be acquired by you-know-who.”    
  
“The Sword of Instrumentality – the summation of humanity’s collective will-power; to think such a blade could even be possible to forge . . .”  
  
“You know the influence that person has on the world, and it took even him fifteen years after the Apocalypse to make happen.”  
  
“A-Asuka,” Shinji found himself growing more wary by the second, “do you think these people are somehow connected to NERV?  How come they seem to know about Instrumentality?  And this sword they’re talking about-”   
  
“Shinji-kun,”   
  
Turning nervously towards his girl (the one who led him to this eerie place), the boy’s eyes popped wide as he did a double take.  
  
Gone were the eye patch and the bandages covering her eye and arm, revealing the now dark-skinned, pink-haired girl to have been completely healed; in fact, she was no longer even in her plugsuit, but rather, a sleek, embroidery-adorned red uniform looking vaguely to what the ring wearing boys wore, only hers was more well-tailored and “elite” in appearance.   
  
“Asuka . . . how’d you . . .”  
  
“It looks like the clothes have transformed on their own,” murmured the girl, as she studied her new wardrobe with hooded eyes.  It was only when she glanced over at him that her surprise became apparent.  “Shinji-kun . . .”  
  
Glancing down upon himself, Shinji was shocked to see that he himself now was wearing something that looked like a white variation of the uniform Asuka now wore.   
  
“Wha-at?”  
  
“White with purity,” commented Asuka, her voice exuding not her usual girlish whine, but rather, a dark, _aged_ envy; it vanished in an instant, to be replaced by a warm, indulgent grin.  “How princely this looks on you, Shinji-kun.”    
  
“Asuka . . .”  
  
“Shinji-sama?  Ikari . . . Shinji-sama?”  
  
Sometime during their talking, the trio of girl musicians had since ceased their playing, and had now come up to them in exuberant flutters of puffy sleeves and short shirts. With eager hands, they pawed at him; with ravenous mouths, they exclaimed his praises:  
  
“Welcome to Ohtori Academy, Ikari Shinji-sama!”   
  
“It’s really you, the one who piloted the Evangelion against the monsters . . . the one to have kept this Academy intact through the worst of the attacks!”  
  
“Without this Academy as sanctuary, we’d all get sucked into that white giant like all those poor people from the outside!”    
  
“It’s because of your heroic determination that we’ve all been kept safe!”  
  
“You’re truly the Prince of the World – our _Messiah_!”  
  
“How-Why-Wha . . .?”  To say that Shinji was overwhelmed by the girls’ adoration would be an understatement.  It had been a while since he had been brought here to Tokyo-3.  While everyone at school appeared mildly interested in his status as an Eva Pilot (with Kensuke being the sole enthusiastic among the lot), the boy had never experienced anything close to this fanatical worship he was currently getting from the females here.  Sure, Kaworu had told him that he was not aware of his own popularity, but this . . .   
  
“Quite the lady’s man, Shinji-kun,” drawled Asuka, crossing her arms and giving the boy a sardonic smile; said boy was relieved to see only good-natured humor within the girl’s glinting eyes, instead of that explosive jealousy he so often noticed seething beneath.  
  
“Shinji-sama is our prince!” squealed the girls, now dramatic to the point of being theatrical.  “Shinji Ouji-sama!”  
  
“Oh, I . . .” feeling Asuka’s slim arm slipping around his (in a demure manner that made him conscious of the take-charge male role he as a man should play in front of the ladies) Shinji straightened his back and smiled back at the star-struck females.  “Thank you; I did what I could, for umm . . . the world!”  Clumsy though his delivery might be, the girls ate it right up.  
  
“How brave ~”  
  
“How cool ~”  
  
“How valiant ~”  
  
It would have been easy for Shinji to lose himself completely in the admiration of others - that very thing that kept him in constant craving through life and Instrumentality.  Yet, even while heady with teenage male pride, the boy could not help but overhear the boys’ conversation continuing on in the party’s background, and thus remained conscious of the increasingly cryptic turn it now took:   
  
“To think the classic role of the heroic revolutionary shall now be filled by that weak-minded child.”  
  
“Let’s not forget: this child is now sheath to the accumulated might of all mankind.”   
  
“A weak-minded sheath will likely suit you-know-who’s purpose better than those willful ones that came before.”  
  
“Let’s see how it all goes down this time around.”  
  
“ _IKARI-KUN!_ ”  
  
The shrill, desperate child’s cry shocked Shinji out of the haze currently clouding his perceptions, allowing for him to finally see past the clamoring girls, past the party, to discover the little blond boy calling for his attention from some distance away.  The child was standing under a focused ray of light spearing down from the dark heights above; with his ruffled clothes and heaving chest, he looked like he had just been through some rough struggle prior to showing up.    
  
Shinji had no idea what to make of this.   
  
“Err . . . you . . . ?”  
  
“Err NOTHING!”  Roared the boy (with such heated agitation, he temporarily reminded Shinji of how Asuka was like before she somehow got changed by Instrumentality), foaming slightly at the corners of his mouth.  “Just run, kid!  Escape from the Ends of the World while you still can!  Or, you’re gonna end up like me . . . or worse, like _them_!”  He pointed a finger at the partying bunch, still moving the “pointing hand” cardboards about (seemingly) randomly as they murmured on amongst themselves.  
  
 _Ends of the World?_   “Um . . . I think your’re the one who’re a kid-”  
  
“I’m goddamned _older_ than you, you bio-robo piloting _brat_!” snapped the child.  “This _hell_ is what keeps me looking like this even after fifteen years went by!”  Seemingly understanding how Shinji would not easily take his words to heart, the strange child tore at his matted blond locks, before abruptly widening his eyes as he then pointed at the trio now hanging around Shinji.  “The girls!  Look at their faces!  Can you even see what they look like?!”  
  
The boy’s words impacted Shinji like a splash of cold water.  All the while, he had simply attributed the shadowy appearances of the girls – along with those of the boys – as their being outdoor in the night.  But while the boys were indeed milling about some distance away, the three girls were right in his face - he could not, no matter how much he squinted his eyes, make out any distinctive features on their faces.  At all.  
  
Jolting backwards in fright, Shinji again turned back towards Asuka, whose features he could clearly make out despite her dark skin; Asuka, who was now giving him a quizzical smile – like she was subtly reminding him of how he was making a scene in front of admiring strangers, in public.   
  
“A-Asuka, these people-”  
  
“Ssssh . . . get a hold of yourself, Shinji-kun,” cooed Asuka, as if the faceless girls looked normal – as if the blond boy now warning him never even existed.  “I know you’re not used to clamoring fans, but these girls here are merely trying to show you their appreciation.”  Her voice gained a velvety edge.  “There’s no need to get scared.”  
  
“Ikari-kun,” persisted the blond boy, who also appeared oblivious to Asuka’s presence,  “we’re right in the monster’s stomach like Jonah from the Bible!  You’ve just gotten swallowed up, you’ve yet to get corroded away by the place’s venom!  Stay any longer, and you could become integrated into its fresh and blood like these goons, or worse, cursed to eternal stagnation like me!   This mustn’t happen to you – not when mankind’s fate is now in you hands!  For God’s sake, just flee this so-call-Academy and don’t look back-” And his voice – along with the ray of light illuminating him – got cut off with violent abruptness, as the boy then disappeared as if he was never there in the first place.   
  
“Ah . . . Ah!”  Pointing a shaky hand after where the boy had vanished, Shinji again turned towards Asuka (for help, for guidance, for someone to tell him what to do), but was then kept silent by what he saw before he could even open his mouth.  
  
The girl had since moved away from his side, and was, by now, walking up along a straight path that was fenced in from sides by the “pointing hand” cardboards – all standing upright on their thin edges, as if upheld up by invisible forces.  Stopping in front of the entrance to the stone building facing the courtyard, she turned towards the metal plate nailed beside the arched doorway, and brushed her slim, dark fingertips over its dull surface.    
  
On the plate was written the following title - “Ikari Memorial Hall”.  
  
One of the two entrance doors opened seemingly on its own, revealing the building’s ominously dark interior; when Asuka then stepped unhesitant-ly into the thick, clouding shadows simmering within, Shinji had no choice but to follow her, regardless of the trepidations now eating at his nerves.    
  
***  
  
Against each other they stood upon the barren shore – two albinos facing one dark-skinned entity, with neither side showing signs of backing down.    
  
“I seek only an alliance with Lilith’s descendants,” insisted Anthy, lady-like mannerism firmly upheld in spite of subtle evidences of growing frustration, “hopefully through the correspondence of the Seeds of Life.  I need to fight my brother, who now exists as their ultimate adversary.”  She punctuated her point by gesturing at “Ohtori Academy”, looking pristine from where it now perched upon a small mountain of debris close to the shoreline.  “Do you want to continue tolerating his existence here?  Can you afford to do so?”  
  
“And why would you of the First Ancestral Race wish to fight your own flesh and blood?  For the Lilins, whose well-being you care nothing for?” asked the visor-wearing Kaworu, the down-turned corners of his lips clearly displaying his skepticism over Anthy’s words.  “You, more than powerful enough to crumble any human effort, had remained passive while an elite few condemned the entire world to this failed evolution.  Do you now try to convince us that you’re willing to side with such low lives against even your own kin?”  From behind the pale angel’s back, Rei watched the dark-featured entity with something between outright distrust and reserved uncertainty.   
  
“Without breaking the shell, the chick will die without being born,” murmured Anthy, in the wistful tone of one recalling something from an ancient past, before her voice gained the strength of certainty.  “Without experiencing the loss of physical form, people can never think beyond the the flesh.  Seele’s Instrumentality, while flawed by human selfishness and limitations, still helped in breaking the world’s shell for its people.”  She swept an arm across the general direction of the ripping waves of LCL.  “This amber sea could be as a transient cocoon before humanity is to rise again upon new wings, so long as-”  
  
“So long as they turn to either you or your brother to complete their evolution,” Kaworu cut her off, “thus rendering all people reliant upon your godly good grace for their continual survival.”    
  
Anthy shook her head, her long locks rippling as serpents about her delicate figure.  “Not my good grace; the _Calyx’s_ good grace, which even the two of you could trust.”  
  
Both albinos jolted in shock at her statement.    
  
“The Calyx . . .”  Rei’s red eyes widened in wonder, as her guardedness started to lessen.  “Could it be . . . are you the one who . . .?”  
  
“The humans don’t know, but the two of you should’ve sensed her presence since long ago – the Heavenly Calyx safe-keeping the souls of all those deceased since the Apocalypse . . . an event coinciding with what the humans had termed the Second Impact.”  
  
“The Calyx . . .” Kaworu seemed to be mulling Anthy’s words over in his head.   “Do you have proof of your alliance with her?“  
  
Reaching into the pocket of her pink dress, Anthy produced a ring – one bearing a magenta rose-motif – and held it up for the pale youth’s inspection.  
  
“You speak the truth.”  Tensed lips slowly relaxing, Kaworu let out a soft sigh as he then removed his visor, revealing warm, smiling eyes.  “If you’re trying what I think you’re trying with the Calyx, then I suppose I can understand why you would have to wait until now before stepping in and aiding the Lilins.”  He looked over a shoulder at Rei.  “It’s okay now – she’s on our side, and that of the Lilins.”    
  
Awkwardly stepping out from behind Adam’s child, the current embodiment of Lilith stepped up towards the First Ancestral Entity, and engaged her in a civil handshake.  
  
“I’m Rei.”  
  
“Rei,” Anthy took the girl’s cool hand in both of hers.  “Rei and Kaworu, Seeds of Life given life; more than any other in this world, the two of you would surely understand the reason behind our wanting to help the humans.”  
  
“For friendship,” said Rei, earnest as a newborn.  
  
“For love,” said Kaworu, mature as a grown up.  
  
Anthy kept her steady, penetrating gaze on the two.  “The one you both cherish, the young Messiah with power over all human souls, is being bewitched by the Ends of the World as we speak; if we’re to rescue the Lilin Race from sure damnation, we have to act fast.  Will the two of you help me help humanity, if only just for the sake of those you’ve come to love in your human incarnations?”  To that, both Seeds of Life nodded firmly in affirmation; Anthy’s smile broadened as a blooming summer’s rose.  
  
“Then, first thing first . . .” raising a delicate hand, the First Ancestral Entity pointed it daintily at what appeared to be a massive, caved in area opening up the ruin-filled landscape in the distance, and stretched out her fingers in a dark, delicate fan . . .  
  
. . . and the caved-in area quickly came to be “refilled”, cluttering up with man-made buildings and structures that would look familiar to anyone who were from around the area; even the charred trees covering the surrounding hills now were again livening up like coral polyps under water, as Tokyo-3 again stood tall as if time itself had been turned back by miraculous means.  Even the serious “light pollution” surrounding the city was back – a sign that electricity was again up and running.   
  
“Reversal of State,” murmured Kaworu as if in remembered pain, “that First Ancestral technique Keel Lorenz had repeatedly failed in replicating via human science, thus affirming his insistence with rebirth through Instrumentality.”  His voice dropped a further notch.  “Had I been able to better control the urge to rejoin . . .”  
  
“This is as much as I could afford to do for the moment,” gasped Anthy, wiping sweat off her creased brows in apparent exertion.  “The Fortress should be completely operational by now, that with its multiple backup generators all working anew.”  She then turned towards the albino girl, who watched all this with awe.  “Rei, if you could resurrect Nerv’s integral staff?  I’m talking about the portion who will aid instead of hinder our efforts.”    
  
Accepting Anthy’s crisp order with ease (as if it was from coming from Major Katsuragi herself), Rei turned to face the vast LCL Sea lapping at the shore, and focused.  
  
 **To Be Continued . . . ?**

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4** (please C &C ~)  
  
She was a part of the world, and the world a part of her.  Their room was a part of the world, and she a part of the room.  She was happy in their room, and all was right with her world.  He was with her in their room, and all was right with her world.  They were copulating in their room, and all was right—  
  
“No.”  
     
The cutting word he voiced shattered the illusion of contentment, of ecstasy, leaving her cold and in fear.  They were no longer conjoined; he had since pulled away.  
  
“We cannot stay,” he said, looking, dressed, determined, and _sad-eyed_ ; it was an expression she feared seeing upon him – as it always meant they were about to part.  
  
“W-Why?” she asked/demanded/pleaded.  “Haven’t you had enough of what’s out there?”  Standing legs apart, she flaunted her nakedness at him in artless desperation. “This . . . isn’t this enough to make you stay?”  
  
“She told me, that the world is at risk of dying again; our will to return is being stolen away as we speak, but she can help us while she still can.”  Even as he spoke, the room had begun to dim, he had begun to leave; her world had begun to crumble.   “We must go back, and be the ones to help the boy – and through him, everyone.  That’s she said.”  
  
“The boy . . .” her heart welled with guilt at remembering the broken child she had made bear the world’s cross, before suspicion was to overtake her thoughts.  “Who is this ‘she’?”  
  
“A calyx to god’s flower,” now completely obscured by darkness, his increasingly distant voice came soft with revere, “a prince to our world.”  
  
“A . . . prince?”  
  
“Katsuragi . . . Katsuragi . . .”  
  
The young-girlish voice, defused as if coming through a different medium, seeped into this darkened space that suddenly seemed a whole lot smaller; already she could feel the edges of its confines – cold, flat, wooden . . .  
  
“What’s going on?”  she asked, confused and frightened.  “Who are you?”  
  
“Katsuragi, I’m here to save you.”  
  
“Save me?  But you can’t save me . . . you’re not Ka-”  
  
“I’m here to bring you back.”  
  
“ . . . back?”  
  
“Back where you came from, where they’re all now waiting.  Himemiya is also there, ready to guide you all along through the things to come.”  
  
“Hime . . . miya?”  
  
“My friend; I used to think of her as the flower to my calyx, someone I need to protect . . . but now I understand – she was the one who had been protecting me all along.”  
  
With a creaking sound, the lid of her current container – which she only now realized to have been a coffin – started to open, revealing a light so brilliant, it seemed to engulf the beholder in life; amidst this light was a pale hand donning a shiny a rose motif ring, and a pink-haired teenage girl visibly straining to keep the lid open.  
  
“You . . .” She knew the girl was a stranger to her; yet, she knew her all the same.  “You’re . . .”  
  
“Katsuragi-san . . .” gasped the pink-haired girl in apparent exertion, “Hurry . . . take my hand!”  Innumerable chalk-white, albino hands appeared from beyond the trembling coffin lid then, helping to keep it open as the girl then hurriedly reached a free hand into the coffin towards her; yet she recoiled in uncertainty.  
  
“Wait . . . what about him?   Where--”  
  
“The outside,” the strange girl, fighting to keep the coffin lid open with help of the albino hands, raised her voice in strained urgency, “is the only place where we can truly meet others.  So, don’t be afraid of this world where you’ll meet everyone for real; take my hand, _**Katsuragi Misato!**_ ”  
  
Compelled by the call, the woman reached up to take the offered hand; the girl smiled, she wept.  
  
Crack!  
  
Immediately upon contact with the girl, the woman found her world her coffin her shell all exploding outwards, releasing her surrounds her confines her very being into the vast unknown existing beyond the immediate _her_.  An amber-colored medium (so much like spilled glair) was splashing against her skin her mouth her eyes her nose, and she found herself submerged within its breathable taste and scent-  
  
“. . .tsurgai-san, it’s okay!  This is just LCL!”  
  
“Yes!  Even the Major’s managed to come back!”  
  
“Then, that leaves only Sempai, the Commander, and the Vice Commander still missing . . .”  
  
At hearing those very familiar, very _real_ voices, Katsuragi Misato’s haze-covered mind snapped back into razor-sharp clarity, as the Nerv Major practically dived out of the LCL medium and onto the solid bank, where she was then encased by the group hug consisting of the trio of main computer technicians - Hyuga Matoko, Aoba Shigeru,and Ibuki Maya – who had been her allies against the Angels (the "18th" included) unto the very end.  
  
“You guys . . . !”  Misato hugged them back with fervent vigor, embracing their sticky clothes and skin as she savored their solid forms (all the while relieved by her own gratuitously clothed state).  While they had briefly interacted as parts of the collective whole during Instrumentality, they all were but fragmented ghosts back then.  This, this physical interaction with all of them existing as individual wholes; this was _real_.  Looking around, she saw a number of familiar faces: all from Nerv, all showing wide-eyed wonder at being re-materialized underneath this dark world shored in by LCL . . .  
  
. . . wait.  
  
“The Terminal . . . Dogma?”  exclaimed the Nerv Major in disbelief, noting the massive, honeycomb structures making up the massive interior space’s confines.  “But . . . during Instrumentality . . . I thought that Nerv HQ . . . no, I know – the entire Egg making up the GeoFront got elevated into space; everything got destroyed in the end!”  Disengaging herself from the group hug, she now studied the vast “room” in disbelief.  “This shouldn’t be possible . . .”  
  
“Major, this is . . . ” Hyuga then trailed off, seemingly at a loss for words.  “That’s . . .”  
  
“Power in sufficient quantities can make possible the impossible.”  
  
The cultured female voice drew Misato’s frantic gaze towards a modestly dark-featured teenage girl, one whose immaculate appearance made her stand out from among the LCL-drenched Nerv Crew gathered about; that, and she had both Rei and that _Nagisa_ boy franking her on either sides.   
  
“Rei,” Misato observed that unfamiliar sense of “gravity” now apparent behind the girl’s red eyes. “are you . . .?”  
  
“I am now the first, the second, and the third, all within one,” replied the albino girl, knowing the Major would know what she was talking about.  “that, and I’ve inherited the might of Lilith.”  
  
“And I, the might of Adam,” the Nagisa boy – now holding a large visor in his pale hand – piped up with his broad grin, “with Instrumentality having passed, I no longer pose any threat to the Lilin Race’s continual survival.  And this,” the boy gestured at the poised, dark-skinned girl beside him,  “is the last survivor of the First Ancestral Race, who was the one with power enough to reassemble Lilith’s smashed Egg.  She is here to seek alliance with the Lilin Race.”   
  
“First Ancestral . . . Race?” asked Misato, feeling somewhat unnerved under the “girl’s” benign yet penetrating gaze; Maya leaned in from the side to whisper quickly in her ear.  
  
“Nagisa Kaworu-kun told us they were the first extraterrestrial intelligence who created both Adam and Lilith, along with the many Seeds of Life planted throughout the many planets of the Milky Way Galaxy.”  
  
“By their accounts, the Lilin Elites of Seele believed the First Ancestral Race had been wiped out since ancient times,” supplied Kaworu, clearly having heard Maya, as he used the visor like it was a tablet.  “To think Seele never even suspected that we have one right here on Earth all along . . .” he glanced up and at the “First Ancestral Entity”, “your scope of power is truly godlike, Himemiya-san.”  
  
“Hime . . . miya?”  Misato jolted at the name.  “You’re _Himemiya?!_ ”  
  
Smiling primly, the dark-skinned girl said to be an alien stepped daintily up towards the Major.  
  
“Himemiya Anthy,” she offered her hand to the woman, “pleased to meet you.”   
  
“Himemiya . . . san,”  Misato took the delicate, silken hand in a shaky handshake,  “You, you’re the flower to that girl’s calyx.”  
  
“Utena had made contact with you from within the collective consciousness, just like she had done for everyone brought back into existence by Ayanami Rei.”  Deep-set green eyes welling with unshed tears, Himemiya’s smile wavered as she started getting choked up.  “Did you see her as the noble child she was fifteen years ago?  Wasn’t she radiant beyond words?”  
  
“Utena . . .” Misato licked her dried-lips while gingerly disengaging herself from the handshake.  “Is she also a member of your . . . race?”  Himemiya’s expression dimmed up at the question.  
  
“The Calyx was born a human by the name of Tenjou Utena,” supplied Rei in her quiet voice,  “she went through a change around the time of the Second Impact, and has since existed as something I cannot properly describe with words.”  Her words incited a mildly exasperated sigh from Kaworu.  
  
“That ‘something’ has been the most valuable, most _revolutionary_ existence to this planet for the past fifteen years, and is the only hope for the planet’s revival,” said the Angel, catching the Major’s gaze as he gestured at behind her.   
  
Turning around, Misato finally got her first look at the other side of this massive interior space, and found herself stunned beyond words.     
  
The giant crucifix where Lilith was nailed against was no more, replaced by a vast, stark marble strip taped against the tall, cell-covered wall, where many of the gigantic hexagonal structures now were displaying glowing rose motifs.   Against this marble backdrop bloomed a colossal white rose – one adorned with white petals so fluorescent, it appeared to be crafted from light itself - sprouting out from the LCL lake.  Beneath the rose's radiant corolla was the emerald green calyx, and--  
  
“Oh my god . . .” Misato gasped as she finally got a good look at the giant rose’s calyx, where a lanky, feminine figure could be seen encased within the semi-lucent articulation like an insect inside amber.  “That’s . . .”  
  
“That is Utena, as she is now,” said Himemiya, her voice wistfully soft. “Since the Absolute Destiny Apocalypse, which fatefully coincided with Adam’s explosion, Utena has been offering up her very self to sustain this most sacred flower - the Rose of Light.  This is the physical manifestation of the Light of the World – an accumulation of the various First Ancestral powers left behind by my long-perished race; By Utena’s will, this power has been used to sustain the many souls deceased throughout the past fifteen years, up until Seele’s Lilith-based Impact took control of humanity.  The Rose of Light has now taken physical form to bear for this planet its fruit of rebirth; it can only grow here in the glair of Lilith’s Egg, thus why I’ve reversed this entire area back into its former state, with modifications where necessary.  Katsuragi-san,” voice firming up, she turned solemnly towards Misato, “in the immediate future, the last surviving First Ancestral Entity will start attacking this place trying to seize the Rose for his own selfish use.  The Seeds have since agreed to lend me their powers to defend the Rose against the threat; I ask that you, as the highest-ranking remaining officer of Nerv, lead this organization to fight the enemy along our side, so you all may truly save the world this time.”  
  
“But we . . .”  glancing quickly around, Misato saw her colleagues all looking just as uncertain as she herself felt right now, “okay; a lot of us had died terribly fighting for a cause that we thought was noble, but instead ended up screwing the world over.  And here you show up telling us to fight again . . . wait,” something occurred to her then.  “Did you say the enemy is . . .?  I thought _you_ are the last survivor of the First Ancestral Race?”  
  
Himemiya’s mouth tensed into a flat, taunt line.  “Unlike humans, individual units of our race come in pairs of opposite-gender siblings, each sharing half of the single whole.  It is my brother – my other half – who now exists as mankind’s final adversary, and it is he who I now must destroy,” her eyes upon Utena – encased within the Rose’s Calyx – were narrowed with determination, “at any cost.”  
  
 **To Be Continued . . . ?**


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Much thanks to DuncanR, Gob Hobblin, and Lurv for having given fic-enhancing pointers to better this work. Hectic real life aside, I do hope I can continue this to completion (crossing fingers here).

**Chapter 5**  
  
“This . . . is Nerv HQ _now?_ ”  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Himemiya-san . . . when you said you’ve somehow resurrected Nerv HQ ‘with modifications where necessary’, I had no idea that you meant having remodeled like _the entire place._ ”  
  
“It is in our race’s nature to contort our places of dwelling around ourselves, Commander Katsuragi.”  
  
Looking over the Command Center – now resembling some fairytale castle set existing jarringly against the pre-existing hi-tech LED screens – Misato had to slowly inhale to keep calm.   This Himemiya alien was just so _self-centered_ in her takeover approach – to the exclusion of any input from the original Nerv staff, whom she appeared to value as little more than convenient pawns; the way she said “Commander” also pricked at Misato’s sensitivity, much like spruce spines against bare skin . . .  
  
“ . . . not much of a team player, are you?”  
  
“I never have been.”  
  
Somehow, Misato found Himemiya’s softly uttered reply to be more melancholic than arrogant.  To be fair, this one _was_ much less annoying than those many power players (a.k.a. Seele puppets) she had to deal with throughout her military career; the “girl” was apparently this goddess-like _First Ancestral Entity_ , and that in itself deserved respect from a mere human such as herself.  
  
Then again, that did not mean she herself – as the current Commander – should (or could) keep her concerns silent.  
  
“Still, to go so far as to replace the Magis . . .”  
  
“All data from the Magis has since been incorporated into the Shadows – it’s the only system on this planet equipped to deal with what we’re up against.”  
  
“But, to replace a trio set with a duo . . .”  
  
//“Oh, you don’t have to worry about us being inferior by number, Commander Madam-sama!”//  
  
The high, girlish squeal suddenly blasting out from the workstation’s speaker sent Misato jolting.  Quickly glancing down upon the computer’s re-ignited screen, the woman saw two girlish silhouettes in puffy sleeves and short skirts waving jauntily up and _at her_.  
  
//“You know what they say – where there are E-ko and F-ko, there shall be _Many-kos_!”//  
  
//”Nobody knows about any of that in this continuity, F-ko.”//  
  
//”R-Right!  Still, we got more personality than all three aspects of that old hag crammed together into the same OS, so E-ko and F-ko _for the win!_ ”//  
  
//“Is it really wise to say ‘old hag’ in front of a woman nearing the Big Three O?”//  
  
//“Err . . .”//  
  
“. . . forget what I said,” grumbled the “woman nearing the Big Three O” while flipping off the mini-speaker, as she then took a moment to better study the changes done to the colossal Command Room – from the jagged castle walls of framing the Command Stations, the stained glass frames outlining the display screens, down to the new “bisected-rose motif” Nerv logo, with the text “SMASH THE WORLD’S SHELL, FOR THE REVOLUTION OF THE WORLD.” superimposed above an inverted apple in the background . . .     
  
“I still can’t believe this is the same place I’ve been working at for all this time,” she mused in genuine bewilderment.  “Sure, I know all this has been rebuilt from scratch – can’t even begin to imagine how you’re doing this – but being here now . . . it felt like the entire structure here is a part of your body, and that we’re all being held captive inside you . . .” Her voice trailed off at seeing what appeared to be a mouse-sized monkey playfully rolling a sizable gastropod shell around the workstation’s table top.  “Oh . . .”  
  
“This is Chu-Chu,” introduced Himemiya, vapid expression warming up as she petted the diminutive creature on its head, “he has been my sole companion for a very long time.”  
  
“I’ve no idea you’re into exotic pets too . . .” smiling in spite of herself, Misato (who missed her own penguin pet dearly) reached out to pet the monkey’s soft pelt,  “Hey, Chu-Chu . . .”  
  
Just then, sharp claws shot out from the large shell Chu-Chu had been playing with all along, startling the woman into quickly retracting her hand; looking shocked itself, the furry creature quickly grabbed onto a pen, and started “dueling” the emerged mini-beast under her incredulous gaze.  
  
“Is that a . . . ?”  
  
“Chu-Chu makes the most unique friends,” said Himemiya, as she smoothly picked up the shell-inhabiting creature, and placed it back into one of the many small plastic tanks stacked at a corner of her workstation; Chu-Chu, for its part, quickly scurried off the desk and out of sight.  
  
“Umm . . . is it okay to let Chu-Chu run free?” asked Misato, worried.  
  
“Oh, Chu-Chu knows his way back to me,” assured Himemiya.  “Being from the pre-impact era, are you familiar with the hermit crab, Commander?”  
  
“Eh?”   
  
“Once it inhabits a shell, the crab can move it about as an extension of itself.  Certain species can also form symbiotic relationships with other life forms, like anemones--”  
  
“Just like how it is between you and us, now.” Misato, who was indeed familiar with the once-common marine crustacean, immediately understood what was really being said.  “With you being the crab, Lilith’s Egg being your shell, and all of us the anemones you’ve picked up to arrange and maneuver as your defensive weapons.”  
   
“Different species engage in symbiosis for mutual benefits,” said Himemiya, gently addressing the underlying disgruntlement evident in the new Nerv Commander’s words.  “The Rose of Light is humanity’s . . . no, this planet’s final hope of revival.  It is in our common interest to guard it against my brother’s greed.”  
  
“So what actually happens if your brother get his hands on the Rose?” questioned Misato, trying to pry out as much info as possible now that she had displayed her untrusting stance.  “Will it be like an annihilation thing . . . like a Fourth Impact?”  
  
Himemiya shook her head.  “No, the seed-based life forms will all still live – eternally even; only now they would be living as extensions of my brother, and will be made to carry out his will as living tools.”  Her steady, even gaze remained upon Misato, who eventually looked away.     
  
“Fair,” admitted the Commander, grudgingly.  “But I still don’t see how much we, the Nerv staff, could help.  Even though most of us here comes from a military background, Nerv HQ is not technically a military base; most importantly, there are no longer any Evas around for us to use as defense weapon should your brother come attacking.”  
  
“The children of Adam have genetic patterns sharing a 99.89% similarity to that of the Lilims; the same applies to the Evangelions.”  
  
Misato blinked at the baffling statement.  “. . . and?”   
  
Himemiya exhaled in a such way that almost suggested exasperation.  “We shall have Evas, when Evas are to be needed.” Her expression then darkened.  “It should be soon: I’m plenty certain that my brother has since gotten his own set of weapons prepared.”  
  
Knowing that she was unlikely to get any less opaque explanation from the alien, Misato decided to change topics.   
  
“About the change of Nerv HQ Chief Scientist . . .”   
  
“Utena had tried contacting Akagi-san with the Seed’s help – she did not appear to have heeded the call.  That is why I’ve brought in Professor Nemuro, who is already familiar with the many modifications I’ve since made to Nerv HQ, to fill the position; Inspector Chida, who had worked with and is familiar with Professor Nemuro, is fitting as his consultant.”  
  
Glancing down from their elevated tower, Misato observed how Nemuro – an icily fine-featured young gent – was generating this aloof, alienating aura from where he worked no-nonsense-ly at his station; Chida – an elegant gamine – was going back and forth between the Professor and the (reasonably on edge) computer technicians, playing the role of “go-between” with apparent competence and grace.  
  
Craptastic interpersonal skills aside, the First Ancestral chick knew how to run things.         
  
“So, Himemiya-san . . . you know who has or hasn’t been contacted by Tenjou-san to come back?”  
  
“I know what Utena allows me to know.”  
  
“Then . . .” Misato had to consciously keep her voice steady as she finally asked the one question that had been haunting her since her return,  “do you know if Kaji Ryoji, who worked for Nerv, also got . . . contacted?”  What followed was one heart-stopping-ly long moment, during which the woman of military background was almost reduced to hysteria, before Himemiya mercifully answered her question.  
  
“He has.”  
  
Hope soared in the woman‘s thumping heart.  “Then . . .”  
  
“The people who returned here at Nerv all did so by their own decision,” stated Himemiya.  “There are those who might decide to take other paths after the contact.”  
  
“But Kaji _has_ returned to this world,” persisted Misato, a pleading tone evident in her voice. “ . . . right?”  
  
Himemiya’s expression was one of gentle empathy. “After the contact, neither Rei nor Utena could again detect his presence from within the collective consciousness; that is the best answer I can give you for the moment.”  
  
“But--”  
  
Just then, sirens began going off.  Warning signs started flashing upon the various screens across the control room, as the Shadows’ girlish voices blasted out through the speakers:  
  
//“Warning!  Warning!”//   
  
//“Extremely strong wave of magic detected from the general direction of Ohtori Academy, which has somehow appeared within the region right after the Third Impact!”//  
  
The bottom holographic screen turned on to display the current Ohtori Academy campus, now standing tall and immaculate beside the night-cloaked LCL shore.  Up front, another LED screen showed a black and white photo of what looked like a darkly handsome man – one clearly related to Himemiya – with his various stats clearly printed in magenta:  
  
 **Title:** The Ends of the World  
 **Name:** Ohtori Akio (was Himemiya Akio (was Dios))  
 **Age:** N/A  
 **Sibling/Other half:** Himemiya Anthy  
 **Notable Abilities:** Control over Time.  Control over Reality.  Control over all Life Forms and Objects (including Machineries).  Control over the World’s Hatred.  Control over . . . see “Subsection” on Right-hand Screen for a complete listing  
 **Trump Card:**   Ikari Shinji, the one whose will dominates that of the Collective Consciousness.  
 **Estimated Odds of beating Anthy in upcoming Power Struggle:** 50/50   
  
//“Akio-san is as beautiful as he is dangerous – just like his sister!”//  
  
//“Speaking of which, I wonder just how did he move like an entire school campus all the way to beside Tokyo-3 from the old Houou City?  I mean, even if he could lift the buildings and the pavements . . . what about the underground infrastructure?”//  
  
//“Ah, don’t you know? That’s why it’s called _magic!_ ”//  
  
//“I wonder, I woooonder--”//  
  
“Shadows,” Nemuro cut the girlish musings off with his own crisp tenor, now coming through the comm link for all to hear, “report specifics regarding this magic currently detected.”  
  
//“H-Hai!”// The Shadows’ high string voices actually turned somber with cautious respect.   //“Magic confirmed to be powered upon First Ancestral life energies.”//  
  
“Deeper.  Go deeper.”  
  
//“Magic appeared to be one that brings about genetic pattern modification.”//  
  
“Probability of the Ends of the World using such magic to create bio weapons capable of endangering Nerv HQ?”  
  
//“Over 95 percent.”//  
  
“Report Patterns detected.”  
  
//“The entire Ohtori Academy campus exudes Pattern Red – indication of its current possessor exerting his First Ancestral life force to power his magic.  Our sensors also picked up on a rapidly developing Sepia Pattern from this certain building within the campus . . .”//  
  
“Zoom in on the exact building where Pattern Sepia is detected – pierce through the A.T. layers with Dios’ Light if necessary.”  
  
//“Roger!”//  
  
High above the gathered staff – most of them were now gawking at the Professor’s easy control over the seemingly capricious Shadow System – Misato mulled over the fresh-revealed info with a disconcerted frown.  
  
“Pattern Sepia . . . just like when Shinji-kun got salvaged from out of Unit 01’s entry plug.”  
  
“Ikari Shinji-kun is likely undergoing . . . something at this very moment,” supplied Himemiya, somewhat too vapidly.  “It chills my heart to think of the possible designs my brother might have in store for the boy – one who controls the will of all those within the collective consciousness even now . . .”   
  
“Himemiya-san,” snapping under the stress of worry, Misato finally decided she had had enough of the alien’s manipulative ways, “you know everything about what we’re up against, while we of Nerv _do not_.  So, if you got useful tactics to offer, please don’t be convoluted in your presentation and just. Be. Direct.”   
  
“I understand,” smiled the alien at her; somewhat demurely, even.  “Then, Commander Katsuragi . . . would you mind going through genetic pattern modifications, so Nerv can again have a Eva to use?”  
  
 **To Be Continued . . . ?**  
  
  



	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**   (Much thanks to everyone for encouraging me to continue this!  Narucch, thanks for the Kudos.  Please keep the C &C coming ~)  
  
  
 _‘Yo, Agent-san . . . anyone ever called you a meddlesome hero?  
  
‘Someone used to call me that, once.  
  
‘That was fifteen years ago, back when I was a kid who believed in princes and eternity, and that I could use sincerity to save people from even themselves.  I made this decision that some friends – at least I believe they’re my friends - had said was foolish.  Anyway, that decision cost me everything.  But, I ended up saving someone important to me, along with a whole bunch of other people I hadn’t counted on helping to begin with, so that turned out to be a pretty good deal--  
  
‘Eh?  You think it was pointless?  Why?  Because . . . oh, I see; you really thought that everything simply went to hell at the time, with half the world’s population dying and the ecosystem half-dead and that’s the end of the story.  Arg . . . that’s such a shallow way to interpret an apocalyptic global cataclysm!  
  
‘Okay, I see you’re not listening . . . hey, you’re trying to scare me off by tossing me one of your sexual recollections!  Damned Collective Consciousness mechanism . . .  
  
‘It’s no use; I’m no longer that same naïve, thin-skinned child I was fifteen years ago.  Besides, we’re current still sharing in that same consciousness – there’s no longer any ‘river’ of mental barrier dividing you and I.  
  
‘And that’s why I know.  
  
‘Agent-san, you may wear the mask of a cad, but you’re really a meddlesome hero just like me.  I know you died seeking the truth behind a world threat – that means you wanted to save the world in danger, right?   
  
‘So, being that we’re still sharing in the same consciousness, how about if I show you what I know about this one biggest, final threat currently threatening to end what’s left of the dying world?  Sounds interesting? Good, you keep your mind open now . . .  
  
‘This is my recollection of the year 2000, all the way up to September 13, when I went against the threat to save a girl standing at the Ends of the World, and the world along with her . . .’_    
  
***  
  
As a man who lived though dangerous times - who _chose_ to die during one of those – the agent had thought he was forever done with this crippling feeling human beings call fear.  
  
He was wrong.  
  
The moment he pulled himself out of the Collective Conscience, the agent found himself rematerializing at what looked to be some upscale private academy’s sizable campus: the buildings were done in grand Byzantine style, the grass and pavements were immaculately maintained, even the stars above the tranquil night sky looked--  
     
. . . the stars above . . .  
  
The agent’s eyes widened in awe at noticing the glittery stars above all moving with an unnatural speed akin to those from a planetarium’s projected film.  Sure, he had seen his share of artificial skies before – many post-Second Impact structures have ‘artificial skies’ built in as decor.  But, something of such immense scope would require nothing less of a GeoFront-like structure.  And, unless he somehow time-traveled, neither Adam nor Lilith’s Egg should be in tact no more . . .  
  
“Ikari-kun--”  
  
The young boy’s urgent voice – more importantly, the name he uttered – drew the agent’s attention towards the spotlight shining ahead, illuminating a prepubescent blond child currently calling out to a distant figure immediately recognizable as the Third Child Ikari Shinji.  Standing at an open courtyard in front of a stone building, the boy - currently wearing some embroidery-adorned white uniform – eyed the younger kid with apparent wariness.  Beside him stood the Second Child, and she --  
  
The agent had to force down his own startled exclamation at what he now saw.  
  
Wearing a red variation of Shinji’s uniform – one in the same shade of her plugsuit - Asuka Langley Soryu now had numerous red strings streaming out from various parts of her petite body; visibly taut from holding up the girl’s slim frame, these fine strings led up and towards an intricate control bar, one maneuvered by what looked like a tall, shadow-cloaked man wearing an eye-catchingly theatrical prince costume . . . or was that a tall _shadow_ filling the costume like some insubstantial phantom?  The girl’s face, now unnaturally void of expression, coupled with her thread-held body to complete her current appearance of being a well-crafted puppet doll (that very thing he knew she _loathed_ ); her eyes, open and still, appeared glassy to the point of seeming artificial.  
  
“ . . . right in the monster’s stomach like Jonah from the Bible!” The blond kid persisted on, seemingly oblivious to Asuka’s presence. “You’ve just gotten swallowed up, you’ve yet to get corroded away by the place’s venom! Stay any longer, and you could become integrated into its fresh and blood like these goons, or worse, cursed to eternal stagnation like me! This mustn’t happen to you – not when mankind’s fate is now in you hands! For God’s sake, just flee this so-call-Academy and don’t look back--” The shadow in prince’s costume raised a free ‘hand’ in a peculiar gesture (his other one being occupied with the puppet control bar), and the spotlight upon the latter abruptly vanished . . . along with Shinji, ‘Asuka’ plus ‘Shadow Prince’, _and_ the entire area around the stone building – now appearing as just some crumbled, longtime ruin.  
  
“Ikari!”  Alarmed, the blond child scampered up and towards where the Second and Third Children had been but a moment ago.  He ended up tripping on the ruin’s debris and falling down hard, before curling up on the ground in a fetal, trembling ball.   
  
By the time the agent had gotten up to the boy, he noted that the latter was audibly crying in utter despair.  
  
“ . . .fucking over . . . all over now . . .”  
  
“Are you Tsuwabuki Mitsuru-san?”  
  
Startled by the agent’s voice, Tsuwabuki pushed himself painfully back up to face the man.  
  
“You’re not from around here,” stated the child, now hurriedly wiping off what tears he shred.  “Who are you?  How’d you know me?”  
  
“You still look the same as she remembered you from fifteen years back,” the agent’s worldly eyes were soft with empathy as he handed his I.D. card to the guarded youngster.  “As for me, well . . . I guess I _am_ something of a ‘meddlesome hero’.”  
  
“Kaji Ryoji, NERV Special Investigator?”  Tsuwabuki’s eyes widened at seeing the rose motif ring glittering on the man’s hand.  “Your ring . . . ”  
  
“One Tenjou Utena gave me this Rose Signet so it may led me here,” said Kaji, straightening up as he took in a better view of what was currently a ruin, beyond which a tall tower could be seen stabbing up and into the artificial night sky. “To this faux school where her old friends still live entrapped by the monstrosity known as the Ends of the World, who now has devoured even NERV’s Children for the sake of taking control of the Collective Consciousness.”  
  
“So Tenjou-sempai _had_ survived, after all,” muttered Tsuwabuiki to himself, somewhat wistfully, before his young face tightened with solemnity.  “Kaji-san, how much do you really know about what you would be up against?”  
  
“Not nearly enough,” admitted Kaji, eyeing the tower’s top level – currently the only place at the darkened academy with lights turned on – with a perturbed frown.  “Everything I’ve been privy to, I saw from Tenjou’s point of view.  Unfortunately, the girl she was appeared to be of the oblivious sort who’d miss even blatant clues by the eyeful.”  
  
***  
  
Beyond the stone building’s entrance was an ill-lit dark corridor flanked by lines of chairs, all of which carrying a ‘pointing hand’ cardboard sign signaling for visitors to move forward, towards a door with an occupied sign hanging off its knob.   Walking in, the Children found themselves inside a dim elevator, one set up with a mirror, a low seat facing the mirror, and a framed picture to the side.   While being ushered onto the seat by Asuka, Shinji noticed that the framed picture showed a distant shot of none other than himself standing on the bridge over the LCL pool, with Unit 01’s colossal figure prominent in the background.  
  
“Asuka, what _is_ this place?” he could not help but ask, his heart sinking along with the elevator’s downward momentum.  “Is it really named after my family?  Just what are we doing here?”  In return, Asuka gently turned his head by hand, such that he properly faced the mirror on the elevator wall.  “Asuka . . .”   
  
“Shinji-kun.” The girl’s currently dark features, as reflected upon the dark mirror, made her appear more shadowy silhouette than human to the boy’s eyes.  “Don’t you trust me?”  
  
“Asuka!  What are you saying?!  Of course I--”  
  
“Remember what I told you before, about having learned things during Instrumentality?”  
  
“Urmm . . .”  The boy did recall their conversation upon awakening at the beach: something about bringing people back from the Collective Consciousness by finding some strange power or light associated with a witch and her consort.  There was talk of a prince somewhere in it . . . or was it just her suddenly starting to refer to him as one (what a change from ‘Baka-Shinji’)? “Yeah; that’s all very . . . urm . . .”  
  
“Unbelievable, right?”  
  
Out of a corner of his eye, Shinji noted a change coming over the framed picture.  Turning his head, he saw that it now showed Ikari Yui holding a toddler distinctively recognizable as himself.  
  
“Mother . . .?” started the boy; Asuka again maneuvered him into facing the mirror.  “Asuka . . .”  
  
“Shinji-kun, I’ve learned, from the minds of many, the _entire story_ behind our world.  Witches, princes . . . they’re all just different names for those same eternal beings in existence since the beginning of time.  I know now that an ancient alien race once dominated the universe, and they livened up the many planets by spreading the Seeds of Life throughout the Milky Way.”  
  
“Seeds of Life?”  
  
“NERV higher ups call them by the names of Adam and Lilith.”  
  
Shinji saw his own eyes widen in the mirror.  “Lilith . . . you mean the white giant who fused with Ayanami right before Instrumentality took place?”  Asuka’s face remained darkly obscured in the reflection.  
  
“Adam and Lilith were the origins behind the angelic race and the humans race, respectively.  However, because their two lines of offsprings cannot co-exist on this globe, a member from that ancient alien race descended upon Earth to seal Adam up while guiding the Blood of Lilith towards fruitfulness, thus making creating the ecosystem as you know it.  
  
“Humans who knew of the alien’s existence had interpreted it as many different things throughout mankind’s long history: a god, a warrior, a hero . . . as history progressed, as men continued in dividing themselves via classes and values, that alien entity came to be known as the Rose Prince, who bore the miraculous power to vanquish every imaginable trouble plaguing mankind, of all times.  
  
“The name of the Rose Prince is Dios, the name of his power is the Light of the World.”  
  
“Prince,” murmured Shinji, feeling inexplicably disconcerted at hearing the word.  Asuka leaned closer against his back.  
  
“A prince is an ideal,” she said, “a label for people to put upon those from whom they demand nobility and strength.  Back then, the people of the world clamored around Prince Dios, pushing him to fight all their tough battles for them.  ‘Only you can do it for us’, they said to the Prince, ‘so you must do it as your destined responsibility.’ ”   Hands on his shoulders, she leaned forward to whisper in Shinji’s ears.  “  ‘If you refuse, then you’re only a coward who runs away!’”   The boy jolted at what she said; the girl continued on.  “The people’s words acted like a spell, binding the Prince into continuing on with shouldering the world’s burden, thus keeping him their glorified, yet ultimately exploited, slave--”   
  
*SLAM!!!*  
  
It was only after his fist started hurting that Shinji realized he had just slammed it soundly against the wall-mounted table block under the mirror.  He also felt Asuka’s body turning stone-stiff against his back.  
  
“Ah . . .”  Gathering his wits about, the boy fumbled for the right thing to say.  “Umm, Asuka . . . that’s an amazing story . . . I mean, history you’re telling me.  It really is!  But I don’t see how it has got to do with . . .”  And the elevator came to a stop, right as the framed picture became one of a visibly pregnant Yui, who was captured beaming radiantly at the camera.   The door opened to reveal a dark underground tunnel dimly illuminated by the faint haze visible at its end.  
  
Eyes on that haze, Asuka straightened up and away from his contact. “Let’s go.”  
  
“Where’re we going?” asked the boy, who hurried to follow after the girl now stepping out and into the tunnel; she walked on ahead without turning around.  
  
“To Dio’s Grave, where you shall see the missing link connecting Dio’s ancient past and the Earth’s troubled present.  Knowing the whole of the truth, you, the Messianic Epitome of Instrumentality, shall find that right path leading towards humanity’s rightful destination.  
  
“And then you shall act, Shinji-kun.”  
  
  
 **To Be Continued . . . ?**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**   (Many, many thanks to the kind encouragement from everyone at the different sites.  Keep the C&C coming, guys!  )  
  
  
“These are . . . ?”  
  
“They all used to be living, breathing students of the Academy, yes.”  
  
Goosebumps raised, Kaji followed a candelabra-carrying Tsuwabiki through the clearly defunct dorm’s unlit hallway, where numerous straw dolls in student uniform could be seen positioned about in dramatic poses suggesting despair and resignation.  
  
“How . . . ?”  
  
“Students who cannot become Duelists have no choice but to become straw,” muttered the non-growing boy in a husky voice too old for his current appearance.  “That’s what the Acting Chairman broadcasted over the Academy fifteen years ago, and what everyone got turned into since.”     
  
Kaji’s frown – already there to begin with - deepened.  “Humans turning into straw, a building morphing into a ruin . . . what’s happening here really don’t make much sense at all.”  
  
“Neither would regaining physical form from LCL by imagining oneself in their heart, if one does not understand the mechanism behind the process,” said Tsuwabuki, stopping in front of a child-sized ‘straw doll’ in an elementary girl’s dress – one with the name tag ‘Hozumi Mari’.  “I doubt your current appearance is identical to how you looked entering the Collective Consciousness as a NERV agent, Kaji-san.”     
  
“Wha--”  Quickly checking himself on a wall-mirror, the agent saw - to his dismay – that he now looked like the 15 yr old teenager he was fifteen years ago.  Not only that, but hew now was wearing a gray uniform reminiscent to those he saw from Utena’s memory.  “Guess I still had my mind full with Tenjou’s adolescent recollections when I returned from the Collective Consc--” And he stopped, a look of dawning understanding on his now boyish face.  
  
“You, who’ve been part of the Collective Consciousness, should understand.”  At last turning away from the little girl straw doll, Tsuwabuki again walked on.  “In a medium where all life forms are malleable, people could only be as they imagine themselves to be in their hearts.”  His voice dropped to a murmur.  “Having no real life experience to draw upon since what happened fifteen years ago, I cannot imagine myself as a genuine adult, that’s why . . .”  
  
“A Collective Consciousness-lite medium,” pondered the teen-ed agent again following behind,  “so that’s what this Ohtori place really is, huh?”   
  
“That and a pocket dimension,”  muttered the ‘young’ boy, walking on up ahead.      “Ohtori Academy is a living thing.  Think of it as an egg, with the physical boundaries surrounding the area its defining shell, the area within – the buildings and people included - the liquid glair, and the Acting Chairman the chick embryo feeding off our souls.”  
  
The agent blinked at what he heard. “Feeding off our . . . _souls_?”  Tsuwabuki stopped on his tracks.  
  
“Kaji-san, haven’t you noticed how it’s become more difficult to remember certain things since you came here?” He then looked over a shoulder and at the older man.  “Who’re you parents?  Have you got grandparents?  Any aunts or uncles?”   
  
“Oh . . .” The words sent a chill through the agent’s spine, as he, who prided himself on having a keen memory by trade, could barely recall any solid details about what family he once had.  At least he still could remember Katsuragi, along with all things related to his professional life . . .  
  
“If the human soul is made up of memories, then that monster is feeding right off it,” stated Tsuwabuki, glinting blue eyes apparently seeing right through the still-older male’s confusion and uncertainty.  “Kaji-san, didn’t you say that Tenjou-sempai has evolved into a higher-being of great Power?  Wasn’t she the one who contacted and saved you from the Collective Consciousness?”  
  
“I actually have to summon the will to save myself back there,” clarified the agent.  “But other than that, she does seem very powerful by my human standard.”   
  
“Then . . . why does Tenjou-sempai have to wait until now to retaliate against the Chairman.  And why does she have to sent you, instead of coming to fight him herself?”  
  
“Tenjou told me she will be coming to fight Ohtori Akio soon, and that she and Himemiya are getting prepared as we speak.   She has basically sent me here as her forerunner, though I’m beginning to wonder just how much help a mere human like myself would be.”   
  
“Tenjou-sempai likely chose you as her forerunner for your ability as a high-level NERV Agent,” assured Tsuwabuki, those his voice and expression remained gravely solemn.   “If you’re here with a plan to move against the Acting Chairman, I’d advice you to make your move soon - before the Chairman does.”  
  
“A plan . . . ”  Somewhat suddenly, Kaji  donned a broad grin. “You know, Tsuwabuki-san, you’re fairly well-informed: not just about Ohtori, but NERV and the Human Instrumentality Project as well.”  
  
“Having reservations about me?” asked the “boy”, displaying more of the sharp, mature mind hidden underneath his misleadingly juvenile appearance.  The agent kept his broad grin as civil as it was unreadable.   
  
“No offense, Tsuwabuki-san.  But . . .”  
  
“None taken, Kaji-san,” assured Tsuwabuki with a casual wave of his hand – one adorned with a black-colored rose signet similar in design to the one Kaji got from Utena.  “You are an agent on a serious mission – one I doubt you yourself completely understand - in a place of danger.  What you know about me, you know from Tenjou-sempai’s memories from fifteen years ago, and we both know how people and circumstances can change with time.”  
  
“You’re one understanding man, Tsuwabuki-san,” Kaji’s smile gained an appraising edge.  “On Tenjou’s memories: somehow, I cannot find recollection of you ever being a Duelist while searching through within it.”  
  
“That’s because Tenjou-sempai’s memory, as were mine at the time, got fiddled with by that devil: she’d have no recollection of us less . . . prominent Duelists.”  The boy again walked onwards.   “I’m not asking for you to unconditionally trust me, or those others I’m taking you to see – I’m simply taking you to meet with people who may be helpful in bringing down this place.”  
  
“You shouldn’t know much about me either, Tsuwabuki-san,” said the agent, still trying to get a better handle on the younger male as he followed along, “but you seem to have no problem trusting me.”  
  
“People who’ve had a prolonged stay at Ohtori will gradually develop this sharper . . . you may call it a sixth sense,” explained Tsuwabuki, not losing patient. “You came here bearing Tenjou-sempai’s rose signet – exuding her signature noble vibes even now.  Me and the others can sense this easily, and have no reason to distrust you.”   
  
“I see,” said Kaji, even though he did not.  “I’m assuming these others you’re taking me to see are all Duelists, being that they are – I assume – still human like yourself and not made into straw.”  
  
“Human like myself, huh . . .”  Stopping in front of a set of double doors leading to what appeared to be some sort of storage room, Tsuwabuki produced a key and started unlocking.  “Here we are, Kaji-an.  Let’s get you acquainted with the group, and we’ll take it from there.”  The doors opened to reveal a dark, unlit interior - one seemingly cloaked under yards and yards of flowing drapery – underneath which anyone and anything could be lurking.  
  
Not that Kaji took on this mission thinking it would be in any way safe, of course.  
  
“Let’s,” said the seasoned agent, posture languidly assured as he stepped up and into the room, towards what awaited in the opaque darkness.   
  
***  
  
“Is this . . . Dio’s Grave?”   
  
“What remains of it, yes.”  
  
Awed, Shinji could not help but gawk at what Asuka now was showing him.  
  
Upon exiting the long, dark tunnel, the boy found himself in a massive underground space - one at a size rivaling that of the large room at NERV’s Terminal Dogma.  Within this gray-shaded space was a massive globe colored in purple and gold, upon the side of which perched what looked like a huge stone statue . . . or rather, a broken, hastily reassembled version of it.  Somehow, the statue had rose petals spilling out from its many cracks, raining downward in a dramatic red shower that accumulated upon the pristine marble floor in a vast crimson pool.   
  
“How come there’re flower petals falling out from the statue?” he walked up and towards the gathered pile.  “This scent . . . the roses are real?”  
  
Already at the edge of the pool, Asuka gently picked up a singular piece, cupping it cherishingly in a delicate dark palm.  
  
“That ‘statue’ is Prince Dio’s carcass,” she spoke with downcast green eyes, “the roses are his lifeblood.”  Her words shocked Shinji into stumbling backwards from the suddenly macabre-seeming red pool  
  
“This stone _giant_ is that Rose Prince alien you told me about?”  The boy remained confused.  “But . . . you called this a grave.  And . . .”  
  
“Those who can die are lucky,” muttered the girl, lowered face veiled under pale pink long locks.  “The Rose Prince, by nature of his alien race, cannot truly die in the human sense of the word.  He can only go on suffering – it’s his punishment for failing his role as humanity’s infallible savior.”  
  
“How did he fail?”  Shinji regretted his question almost immediately upon voicing it, as Asuka’s expression now had visibly stiffened with something akin to exasperation.  
  
“Shinji-kun, you of all people should understand that one man – no matter how powerful - can only shoulder the world’s burden for so long before inevitably collapsing under its weight.”  This time, it was Shinji’s turn to tense up - the girl’s words had him recalling the various traumatic moments he had been _forced_ through since becoming an Eva pilot.  Sensing his growing discomfort, this ‘new’ Asuka softened her voice and stance prior to continue on.  “Having to continuously battle all the adversaries against mankind depleted the Prince of his strength; he was rendered bedridden with illness, unable to continue fighting on the people’s behalf.”  Pause.   “And, having let the world’s people down, so too had the Rose Prince let down his other half.”   
  
“The Rose Prince’s other half?”  
  
“The Prince’s sister – the Rose.  Unlike humans, individual units of the Prince’s race come in pairs of opposite-gender siblings, each sharing half of the single whole.  Although Dio’s equal by birth, the Rose – like those humans of the time - lived sheltered under his protection.  A hothouse flower, she who had no need to grow strong became weak despite her potential.   
  
“When the Prince failed in the eyes of the world, and the world’s people turned against him in their desperate rage, the Rose crossed those people trying to protect her brother.  Being weak, she was no match for the mob’s hate-filled violence, and was crumbled in an instant.”  
  
“Did she . . . die?” asked Shinji, who gradually found himself caring in spite of the outlandish nature of the tale told.  Asuka’s expression darkened a further notch.  
  
“Remember what I just told you?  Those of the alien race cannot die easy – nor is the wounding of their flesh an action without consequence.  Just as the Prince’s body was as torch to the Light of the World, so too was the Rose’s body something of great significance to life on Earth.  When the rabid mob tore her apart with their innumerable swords, when they ripped open that fatal wound upon her flesh, they were really doing the same to their world.”  She then gestured to the side of the underground hall, to where a tallish set of broken white doors could be seen barely upheld by the thorny rose vines webbed upon its cracked surface.  “Do you know what that is?”  And she continued on before the boy could hazard a guess.  “Some called them the Rose Gates. The wound opened upon the Rose Prince’s sister, as manifested upon the world; the world’s wound, if you will.” She glanced sideways and at the boy.  “In contemporary times, those involved in the Human Instrumentality Project had given them a less whimsical name - the Doors of Guf.”  
  
“The Doors of Guf?!” gasped Shinji; the unexpected linking of a term he recalled from his bout in Instrumentality to an ancient tale that seemed more fairytale than history had greatly startled him.  “But I thought they were those . . . openings on Lilith’s palms; you know, the ones that radiated Anti-A.T. Field while sucking in human souls during Third Impact?”  He studied the broken, desolate-seeming gates uncertainly.   “How could they possibly be here, or on this Rose Prince’s sister you’re talking about?”  
  
“By its alien nature, the Doors of Guf can manifest in various different forms, and at numerous locations and times,” explained Asuka, her voice somehow bitter.  “When the people of the land inadvertently wounded the Prince’s sister during their attack, the wound’s opening released both a magical . . . you would call it an Anti A.T. Field, and a suction force: the Anti-A.T. field reverted the people back into LCL, the suction force drew the liquefied souls right into it.   
  
“Unfortunately for the world, those were not the only things the Rose took unto herself”  
  
“You see, Shinji-kun; the Anti A.T. Field and the suction from the opened Rose Gates were so strong, that they affected even the illness-plagued Prince.  It was with great difficult that the weakened Dios had narrowly escaped getting sucked in along with the humans, but his power – the Light of the World – was lost to the Rose’s vacuuming wound.  Almost immediately afterwards, the opening closed on their own, sealing inside the sister a generation of hate-filled souls, and the Light that once kept the world alit and trouble-free.  
  
“Had the Rose still retained her original purity at the time of her absorbing the Light, she might have still been able to use it in place of her brother, and all still would be right with the world.  As it was, the hatred from the absorbed souls had since corrupted her heart, degenerating her into a Witch - one no longer able to exude anything but malevolence.  Dios’ Light was sealed and lost to all, and the world became as we know it - a place of unending darkness and suffering.”  
  
Headiness from the onslaught of highly peculiar info aside, Shinji was by now listening rapt.  “What happened to the Prince?”  Eyes veiled under thick lashes, Asuka bit down upon her peachy lower lip, leaving a red imprint.  
  
“Remember how the Prince and his sister were two halves of the same whole by nature of their race?  He could even feel her hurt and sufferings with his body.  Thus, when his sister came to be corrupted by human hatred, even he – once perfect in his nobility – could not be spared.  He degenerated into the Devil, who, along with his sister the Witch, roamed the bleak world seeking for ways to again unseal the lost Power.   
  
“The main difficulty was this: how to reopen the Doors of Gulf and unseal Dios’ Power without incurring the Anti A.T. Field and suction that could again threaten Earth’s Lilith-based ecosystem?  
  
“Through their many failed tries, the alien siblings would discover that a strong, noble soul, one bearing energy enough to neutralize the Witch’s vast Anti A.T. Field, is the only ‘key’ with which to safely ‘unlock’ the Rose Gates; only with such a thing can they free the Light of the World without destroying the world.     
  
“And that’s how it all began.  
  
“Both since corrupted by human hatred, the now malevolent Devil and his Witch started hunting for what strong, noble youths they could find, then leading them onto specific quests of their design.  Using what power she had got left, the Witch would bewitch these youths into seeing her as a desirable trophy woman, and the quests she assigned them heroic journeys towards attaining the power they want.  Such quests would always end with the hero at the Rose Gates, with his trial-strengthened soul seized by the Devil for use as test key in unlocking the Rose Gates.  Through the many quests, those test keys seized had always failed in unlocking the Rose Gates, and with their breaking so too would the selected youths be broken in body and mind.  These ‘heroes’ were, in effect, nothing more than gloried pawns manipulated into serving the Devil’s purpose at the cost of their own destructions.     
  
“The siblings’ efforts lasted throughout known human history, spawning religions preaching high ideals, games of combat and sport demanding nobility and strength, and, perhaps of utmost significance, a human organization that did the procuring of strong-willed potential sacrifices for their purpose.  Choosing to puppet the humans from behind the scenes, even members of the organization’s inner circle knew not of the siblings’ true form and nature, and instead believed themselves to be in charge.  Backed by the aliens in secret, the organization rose to hold an Illuminati-like power cabal over the rulers of the land, flourishing past the ages and unto modern times.  
  
“The Organization is now known as Seele – the backer behind both Gehirn and NERV.”   
  
The revelation hit Shinji like a punch to the gut.  “WHAT?!”  Gradually, implications of what he was told started sinking in, leaving him chilled.  “But . . . that means . . . all that we did at NERV, all those times I tried so hard not to run away . . . we’re actually just . . . _pawns?_ ”   His small frame started to tremble, in fear in sadness and in something seething and hot. “So many lives got ruined - Toji got crippled, Kaworu-kun and Misato-san both ended up dying  . . . this is all because of them?”  Fists clenched, his lips now were pulled back from his clenched teeth a dog-like snarl.    “All because . . . all because of  these _**rose aliens?!**_ ”  Asuka’s eyes upon him were cloudy as deep, dark pools.  
  
“On top of  having strings over the world’s governments, Seele also got direct influence over the wealthy Ohtori Clan,” she said, not exactly answering his question.  “They owned this Ohtori Academy.  A prestigious private boarding school on the surface, it is really an altar that puts selected children through difficult trials meant to forge a strong soul – that very thing needed to unlock the Rose Gates.”  
  
“Putting selected children through difficult trials . . .” hissed Shinji, now perspiring from his budding rage.  
  
“Many decades past by, with none of the selected children even coming close to having what was needed to even get close to the Gates  . . . up until fifteen years ago, when the Devil and the Witch at last found themselves one truly strong, truly noble child; the child's soul appeared to have potential to finally unseal Dios’ Light – that miraculous power glorious enough to right all the wrongs in the world, and justify even the siblings’ horrific actions for all this time.”  
  
“Fifteen years ago . . . wasn’t that the year of . . . ?”   
  
“It was.” Asuka’s voice remained coldly even as she delivered the dramatic reveal. “In the year 2000, on September the 13th, a noble child who failed to unlock the Rose Gates instead tore them open through brute strength alone, thus triggering the global cataclysm known to the world as the 2nd Impact.  
  
“And that, is how _our_ turn as NERV’s selected Children came to be, Shinji-kun.”  
  
  
 **To Be Continued . . . ?**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8** (BETA-ed by NGE fanfic great **Gob Hobblin** , who I’m lucky enough to have as a friend XD)  
  
All NGE and SKU characters belong to their respective owners.  
  
  
Time: 09/13/2000   
Place: Ohtori Academy, Houou City  
  
Even wounded, even sorely betrayed, Tenjou Utena simply could not give up on saving her – that monstrous, tragic princess who led her to this place and state.  
  
“Himemiya . . .”  She grasped at the Rose Gates’ vine-covered handles, uncaring of the sharp thorns now pricking into her fingers and palms. “You don't know how happy I was . . . just being together with you . . . !”   A tear escaped her eye at the deep pains she felt - a tear somehow dropping in perfect unison with a mysteriously materialized water drop impacting her Rose Signet ring.  
  
 _‘Prince . . .’_   
  
Almost as soon as she heard that phantom voice – sounding eerily similar to that of ‘Dios’ – Utena noticed a dramatic change coming over the Rose Gates’s appearance, to the point that it now resembled a standing rose-motif coffin – not unlike the one she had once saw imprisoning Himemiya during the ‘Rose Bride spirited away’ incident.  Taking a quick glance up, Utena saw that the large clutter of aerial swords – the ones skewering through and walling in the Rose Bride – now had exploded outwards in a dark, dissipated ring.  The target of their primal hatred was notably absent.  
  
And that could only mean . . . .  
  
“Himemiya . . . you’re _here!”_   Overjoyed, Utena put all her strength into pulling open the coffin’s lid.  “Just wait, I’m saving you now!”  
  
“Can’t be . . .” Akio-san’s voice, once manfully assured, was now brittle with uncertainty.   “No way a child like you could’ve unveiled the Rose Gate’s true form without a soul sword, unless . . . unless those fools in Antarctica had actually managed to-- _NO!!_   ”  Already, Utena could hear him running up from behind. “Girl!  STOP!!  Don't open that! You don't know what will happen!”    
  
“Oh go n’ shove it!” snarled Utena, dismissive of Akio-san’s warning in her current _revulsion_ against the cynical corruption she now knew was masked under the entity’s cultured, gallant front.  To think she would be tricked into believing _that_ to be the prince of her dreams, to the point of offering him her . . . .  At least the coffin’s extremely heavy lid (likely weighted down by magic) now was slowly moving from her push.  “I’m almost there.”  Her voice softened significantly as she redirected her attention towards to the one she now truly cared for.  “Hang on, Himemiya!”   
  
“You FOOL!” Akio-san’s frantic voice came closer and closer.  “Tearing apart the Rose Gates without using the sword will end up releasing--” Whatever else he was about to say turned into a bestial, agonizing howl, right as the very world itself seemed to change around Utena.      
  
“Wha . . .?” Utena now found, to her shock, herself having reverted into a much younger girl; young, just like the newly orphaned child she was on the night of her parents’ death, when she shut herself into that extra coffin beside those of her parents, hiding from life, hiding from the world.   Then came the Princ . . . no, Devil, drawing her out of her shell by showing her someone suffering far worse than even she did; someone the child she was had felt compelled to save upon first sight.  “Himemiya . . .”    
  
“Who . . .?”     
  
That familiar child’s voice - dulled by pain, deadened with despair - drew Utena’s focus back to the present moment.  She now saw that a vast, dark space existed beyond the coffin’s half-opened door; within this darkness laid the Rose Bride in her original, most primal form: a short-haired, breakable-seeming wisp of a child, one who incurred humanity’s hatred just for loving her brother.  This time, the swords had been removed from the Bride’s body; this time, she was simply curled up on her side in a fetal pose; maybe, just maybe this time, the eternal sufferer could finally be reached by her words . . .     
  
“ . . . Himemiya . . .”  
  
The child Himemiya slowly turned towards her with hazy, unrecognizing green eyes. “Who are you?”  That simple, childlike question alone almost overwhelmed Utena with hurt and with cherishment.  
  
“I . . . came to save you.”  
  
“But, you're a gir--”    
  
“I came here to meet you,” insisted Utena, not giving her friend the chance to (again) crumble her with rejection.  “So don't be afraid of this world where we'll meet for real . . . _Himemiya._ ”  The words had much more impact than she had hoped for: reality was now gradually reclaiming the surreal moment, turning the child Rose Bride of the past back into the buxom young woman existing in this present.  Most importantly, there now was a look of recognition rapidly dawning within Himemiya’s eyes.  
  
“Utena . . . sama . . . ?”    
  
Utena – likewise reverting into the bruised teen she _should_ be at this time and place - broke into tears. “This here . . . is us; our real selves.  Finally, Himemiya . . . we’re finally meeting!  For real!”  She thought she saw a brief flash of what could have been awesome joy lighting up Himemiya’s stunning emerald greens, before they were to widen in alarm . . . and horror.    
  
“Utena-sama!” screamed Himemiya, back in the moment and again too aware of the clear and present dangers from around.  “Hurry and run!  The swords above--”  
  
“Himemiya!” Cutting her friend off, Utena strained to extend her arm further into the ominously deep space within the coffin.  “Hurry!  Take my hand!”  
  
“Forget about me!” At last abandoning the Rose Bride’s vapid mannerism, Himemiya now urged her one and only friend to flee with a frantic urgency.  “Go!  Run away while you can! The swords are coming down any moment--” Utena would have none of that.  
  
“Take my hand! Come on, Himemiya!  
  
“You don't understand! If you don't escape now--”  
  
“Hurry!  Hurry--” choking upon the pain her stretching was doing to her wound – the very one she got from Himemiya’s earlier backstabbing – Utena wheezed raggedly before persisting on, “. . . take my hand . . .”   The metallic droning from those hate-filled, predatory swords swarming above was steadily increasing in volume . . . and closeness; not that she would (or could) care at this point.  
  
“Utena.”  Gradually, a sort of tragic-seeming resignation came upon her friend.  Tears in her eyes, the girl – no longer the Rose Bride, no longer the Witch - began to reach up; slowly, hesitantly.  “You’re going to lose everything . . .”  
  
“Himemiya . . .” Utena could barely hear what the other girl was saying, so focused she was upon their now touching, clasping fingers.  “Someday . . . the two of us--”  
  
And the Rose Gates chose that very moment to break off from the bridge attached, as the Dueling Arena began to break apart with the brittleness of a smashed eggshell; even as she still was desperately reaching out, Himemiya had since plummeted down the dark depths below, screaming.   
  
Even after giving her all, this meddlesome hero still could not save her suffering princess in the end.  Akio-san was right: sincerity alone really was powerless to revolutionize anything or anyone, after all.  
  
Her fairytale – the only world she ever saw / knew / _believed_ in - had ended with her failure.  
  
“I really . . . couldn't become a Prince,” muttered the despairing girl from where she hung limply over the now shaky bridge.  “I'm sorry, Himemiya; for ending up just a make-believe prince . . . .”  Her vision of the dark abyss that just swallowed up Himemiya now was blurred by her own tears.  “Forgive me . . .” Vaguely, she thought she saw light coming from within that darkness, accompanied by a gentle warmth now washing over her . . . or was that merely her own wishful fantasy?  
    
The Swords of Hate descended, piercing her through and dragging her out of the Dueling Arena that was really the Chairman’s Office.    High above the evening-dimmed Ohtori Campus she sailed - during which none of the strangely frantic people running below seemed to notice her or the swords - past the grand buildings, over the burned ruin, and out the steely front gates, towards the ocean-framed Houou City --     
  
No.  The _ocean-eclipsed_   Houou City.   
  
Tsunami waves, tall as towers, amber as flames, came slamming down upon the upscale residential area, washing away the elegant white houses as origami pieces, and the people within as insignificant ants . . .  
  
“ . . . _amber_ tsunami waves?” gawked Utena, physical and mental pains numbed by the sheer incredulousness currently engulfing her.  There was a growing, budding heat burning right over her heart; glancing down, her eyes widened at the sight of her dueling white rose over her chest shining as if lit from within (its intact state was testimony to how, technically, she never did lose that final duel).  “What the . . . ?”   
  
_‘Take responsibility.’_  
  
“Huh?” Utena started at again hearing that Dios-ish voice in her head.  “Who _are_ you?”  
  
 _‘Take responsibility for breaking the chick’s egg.’_  
  
“You’re . . . Dios?” asked Utena, looking frantically about.   “When . . . when’ve I ever done anything like that?  Or . . . are you really Akio-san?!”  A sticky wetness could be felt seeping through her uniform.  All over her pierced body, the many Swords of Hate now were rapidly melting away into an amber fluid - one similar in appearance to the strange floodwaters raging below.  “This is . . . ?”  
  
 _‘Take responsibility for opening the Rose Gates, for smashing the world’s shell, and disrupting all lives within its glair.’_   The words chilled Utena to the core.    
  
“You’re saying this tsunami is because of what I just did?  Because I removed the Rose Bride from her post of suffering . . .  No!”  She shook her head in wild defiance.  “Not even the world has the right to make Himemiya suffer on forever!”  Vaguely, she noticed the wild torrents beneath her beginning to spiral in something of a whirlpool . . . or was it a funnel?  “And why should I believe _you?_   You’re Akio-san, aren’t you?  You!  You’ve been lying to me since day one, so why should I believe--”   
  
_‘Victor of the Duels!’_ The voice – now steely with authority – hammered at her head like a physical blow. _‘Take up your rightful responsibility as the revolutionary liberator of all souls – O Heavenly **Calyx!!!** ’_    
  
“ . . . Calyx--”  And that was all Utena managed to voice, as the amber vortex spiraling below abruptly shot upwards in one colossal, dragon-like sprout.    
  
Despite being a girl jock weak on the academic side, Utena still had heard about how water, when backed by enough force, can break even rigid stones – the many crushed, flooded buildings of the ravaged city below was proof of just that.   Thus, the moment she saw the massive amber sprout rushing up at her, she thought its powerful blow would crush her upon impact.  
  
She was wrong.  
  
The ferocious-seeming waters ended up packing surprisingly little violence, likely due to the fact that she ended up right at the eye of the circular flow, where the current’s draw was at its weakest.  That said, there was something within the amber medium, as Utena found to her shock that her skin, muscles, and bones all were melting into it like ice in hot water – at such a quick pace that her mouth vanished before she could even scream.  Soon, her wounded body was no more, nor were the Swords of Hate once stabbing into it; only her radiant dueling rose remained, pulsing heart-like against her somehow still existing senses as it rapidly grew in size and splendor(was it nourished by the surrounding fluids?) . . . .  She heard voices from within the rose’s fire-bright heart; voices that sounded as many as tens of thousands . . . millions . . . over a _billion_ \- all repeating those same words, all spoken without the constraints of human language:  
  
 _‘ . . . gather us in, Calyx / reject us not, Calyx / keep us sound, Calyx / don’t let us fade, Calyx / safeguard us, Calyx / let’s evolve together, Calyx  . . .’_      
  
Were those . . . the voices of the people newly dead from this catastrophe?  
  
 _‘. . . save us, Calyx . . . please save us . . .’_  
  
Were they now _inhabiting_ the rose?  
  
 _‘. . . save us . . .’_  
  
The strong currents were slamming the now giant rose about, threatening to crumble its light-radiating petals.  Watching on (without eyes), Utena realized that she wanted to steady this strange flower now giving shelter to the people’s souls; this precious, delicate thing of beauty that nonetheless harbored the world in its heart.  She wanted to defend it from harm – just like how she had been defending the vulnerable, suffering Himemiya all along  . . .  
  
. . . and the moment she willed it so, was the moment she already was doing exactly just that.  
  
***  
  
Time: 2015   
Place: Ohtori Academy, Hakone  
  
“ . . . and?”  
  
“And what, madam?”  
  
“What happened next?” asked the feisty female Duelist from the gathering in this dark, desolate place - the one currently in charge of grilling the outside agent for info.  “Something must’ve happened between Tenjou-san losing her A.T. Field and her becoming some higher being of cosmic significance.”   The agent opened his mouth, yet she spoke on before he could voice anything.  “Also, you said she is now the guardian of this Rose of Light - supposedly a thing manifested from the Power of Dios - that harbors the souls of all people dead since 2nd Impact and after, all the way up until the 3rd began.  Just what is the nature of such a thing, that it could even house the collective consciousness of half the world’s population?”  
  
Very slowly exhaling – so as to be inaudible, thus less blatantly exasperated – Kaji then spoke up in the crisp, neutral tone he used in the past when interacting with professional contacts.  “My recollections of that time were all shown to me by Tenjou herself – via Collective Consciousness Mechanism. I’ve since recounted to you all the details I’ve been privy to.”  
  
“Really . . . ?”  Red lips pursed, the blue-haired lass – Kaoru Kozue, Kaoru Miki’s twin according to Tenjou’s memory – casually threw back the white drapery covering a piano, before nimbly stepping over its bench to sit upon the instrument’s top.  “Sounds to me that either Tenjou-sempai is withholding important details, or _you_ are.”    
  
“Kozue-sempai,”  Tsuwabuki started in a cautioning voice, but was waved off by the indolent female student – who still looked an adolescent even to this day.  
  
“I know; the guy’s a pro who worked at NERV, and is frankly our best hope to bring down the Ends of the World.” Her blue eyes – trained upon Kaji - glinted within the dimness like those of a wild animal.   “Still . . .”  
  
“I think we can trust him,” commented Shinohara Wakaba (Tenjou’s high school best friend), who handed Kaji a cup of tea that she brewed from a thermos. “He has Utena’s ring, and I don’t sense anything off about him.”  
  
“Weren’t you the only one of us who rode with the Chairman in his red car without sensing anything off?” asked Kozue.  She got a heated reaction from the high-tailed ‘girl’.  
  
“So I was a ditz back then!  My sense for people has become a lot sharper since, thank you very much!”  
  
“Saa . . . who knows--”  
  
“Anyway,”  Kaji decided to cut in before the girlish banter from these un-aging females would derail the conversation.  “Why are there only the three of you here?  Where are the rest of the Duelists?  Specifically, where are the Student Council members?  They seemed rather strong from what I can gather off Tenjou’s memories . . .”  His voice trailed off at seeing the heavy looks current weighting on the kids’ faces.     
  
It was Tsuwabuki who finally spoke.  “About the . . . Student Council--”  
  
//“Yay!  This still works!”//  
  
The jubilant cry came punctuated by a vast drape fluttered up seemingly on its own, revealing a chunky CRT television that had suddenly turned on.    Kaji saw, on the screen, those odd characters he recalled from Tenjou’s outlandish memories.  
  
“Are they . . . Ohtori’s Drama Club Members?”  he asked the Duelists.  None of them answered him.  
  
//“Hey!  This guy remembers about our Drama Club,”// exclaimed one of the trio of featureless, silhouette-like ‘shadow girls’ on screen, clearly seeing and hearing him.    
  
//“But of course,”// said another one, //“It’s NERV’s super duper know-it-all special agent Kaji Ryogi-san, after all.”//  
  
//“Ah!  He looks so cute as a teenager!”//  The third squealed with girly delight.  //“Look, he’s even wearing the Victor’s Signet!  Could it be . . . that the disappeared Victor had sent him here to take down the Ends of the World?”//   
  
Alarmed by the direction this conversation is taking, Kaji tried interrupting them.   “Urmm . . . girls--”  He was immediately cut off.  
  
//“In that caaassee, let’s update him on a little something he should know about his current co-conspirators!”//  Producing a videotape, one of those shadow girls waved it in front of the camera.  //“That which could not be told until now: Aftermath of a Revolutionary Apocalypse!”//  Kaji thought he heard sharps gasps coming from beside him as onscreen, the ‘silhouette’ in schoolgirl uniform slid her tape into something like a VCR machine.  //“START!”//  
  
The video, edited like a polished film project, showed various mundane, ordinary-seeming scenes all around Ohtori’s campus.  The students, all appearing radiantly aglow with youth, went about their various businesses with a sort of peaceful mundane-ness – playing sports, taking breaks, studying, having lunch . . . sharp-eyed as ever, Kaji immediately noticed one consistently present off-element within all the scenes displayed.  
  
“Why is the sky over the campus still blue?  After the 2nd Impact, all of Japan was shrouded under a thick gray smog for months afterwards. . .”  
  
//“Such a beautiful sky . . .”// murmured Wakaba - the current subject of the video – from where she was leaning against a stone railing staring up at the clear skies above.  
  
//”Isn’t it, Shinohara-san?”// The shot panned out, revealing Himemiya Anthy’s petite yet curvy figure leaning against the same railing as the girl.  //“This sky is as beautiful as my brother wants it to be here in his garden.”//  Wakaba’s listless posture visibly stiffened at the other girl’s words.  //“Do you ever wonder how the real sky – the one above her on the outside – is like at this very moment?  Do you even care anymore?”// Keenly observing the hightailed girl’s developing shiver, the dark-featured one pressed on with her darkly spoken words.  //“She saw you as her best friend unto the very end.  Not even I could turn her against you--”//  
  
//“Can the guilt trip already, Rose bride.”//    
  
It was Kiryuu Nanami, sauntering up with Tsuwabuki by her side carrying her stuff.  The rest of the Student Council members were also coming up from close behind, bringing along with them their various ‘relations’.  Back straight, with her dark hands clasped against each other, Himemiya faced the group with her vapid mask of an expression.  
  
//“Tenjou-sempai saw _you_ as her soulmate, Himemiya-sempai,”// purred Kozue, walking hand in hand with her seemingly uncomfortable twin brother.  //“Look where did that get her.”//  
  
//“Anthy, Anthy . . .”// tsked Saionji Kyouichi, a broad hand clasping onto Kiryuu Touga’s well-defined shoulder, //“are you trying to make us feel bad, when it’s you and your brother who tossed the wench out and right into the raging tsunami?”//  
  
//“You’re trying to have us leave this school and venture into the post-apocalyptic wasteland out there,”// stated Arisugawa Juri,  //“so we may aid you in your search for Utena.”//   
  
//“But Juri, didn’t Tenjou-san do everything for Himemiya-san?”// asked Takatsuki Shiori, her expression mock-innocent as she hanged girlishly off Juri’s arm,   //“Shouldn’t Himemiya-san be the one to go out there in search of her missing friend?”//  
  
//“What’s the point?”// muttered Wakaba, round head hung low.   //“ Even if we’re to go out into the disaster zone in search of Utena, who’s to say she could be found?  The waves destroyed the entire area outside this campus.  Being ejected like that . . . who’s to say she’s even . . . alive?”//   
  
//“Indeed.”// Glasses glinting with reflected light, Himemiya turned away from the group of tense-seeming teens in a manner as dainty as it was dismissive.   //“Feel free to continue your comfortable stay here in my brother’s playground; I’ll go.”//  The camera then showed a rear view of her walking off and towards the Chairman’s Tower in the distance, before the scene abruptly died off into static.  Basked under the gray TV screen’s light, the three deathly-still Duelists present looked no more alive to Kaji’s eyes than ancient stone statues.  
  
“So . . .”  
  
***  
  
“ . . . so that was how the Victor of the Duels, bearing Dios’ lost Power, fell completely under the Witch’s control - it was because those other Duelists were all too scared to go after the Victor in the Impact-ravaged world.  This gave the Witch the opening she needed to seize the Light of the World for herself, and cast the world into its past fifteen years of chaotic darkness . . .”    
  
Pulse racing while listening to Asuka’s words, Shinji found himself balling and un-balling his fists uncontrollably.  “So this Witch is . . . evil?”  
  
Asuka glared balefully at the cracked, vine-wrapped Rose Gates.  “Even empowered by Dios’ unrivaled might, the Witch had allowed Seele to crush the world, NERV, and _us_ – all to suit her own selfish plans.  You decide if that’s evil or not.”  
  
“Asuka.”  Seething, Shinji bit down on his lower lip.  “What happened to that Prince who became the Devil?”  
  
“The Prince . . .” head bowed, Asuka gestured at the broken stone statue on the globe with a listless hand,   “. . . is as he is now.”  Straightening her back with a near-mechanical abruptness, she then turned briskly towards Shinji. “Shinji-kun, the Light of the World is the only thing in existence that can undo the damage done to this world by the Third Impact.”  She slid both her slender arms around one of Shinji’s.  “As the epitome of Instrumentality, it is now up to you to fight the witch, seize her power, and use it to help everyone come back from the Collective Consciousness.”  
  
“But how can I fight this Witch, if she’s so powerful?”  asked Shinji, hesitant yet also strangely eager.  “Without any Eva to pilot, even I am just--” He was cut off by a rumbling, mechanical sound now resonating within the underground space to ground shaking effects.  “ . . . What?”   Asuka’s smile-narrowed eyes were twinkling from within.    
  
“You shall have Evas, if Evas are to be needed.”     
  
“Huh?  But--”  
  
Right then, numerous gigantic, angular structures shot up to protrude out of the large pool of rose petals beneath the colossal globe; it took Shinji a moment to recognize those structures to be standing coffins, each marked by one set of distinctively colored rose motifs: green, blue, orange, yellow, red . . .  
  
“Asuka . . . these are?”  
  
“Cages for the units.  Shinji-kun, take your pick.”  
  
  
 **To Be Continued . . . ?**


End file.
